Bills head coach Sean McDermott gets roasted on SNL after report claims he used 9/11 attacks as example of TEAMWORK in 2019 speech

Bills head coach Sean McDermott has been roasted by SNL shortly after a report claims he used the September 11 attacks as an example of teamwork in a 2019 speech.

Colin Jost of SNL said, “Bills coach Sean McDermott apologized after giving a speech to his players in which he used 9/1 terrorists as a prime example of teamwork… which is kind of a full circle moment… because when Osama Bin Laden While giving the terrorists a pep talk, he told them not to be like the Bills.”

On Friday, McDermott told reporters he recognizes his mistake, while also noting he still has the team's support in light of the questionable comparison he made four years ago.

“It was important for me to address the players who are new to us since 2019 and who may not have been there that day,” said McDermott, who met with players Thursday to discuss the comments.

“So they understood that situation and how it unfolded, and that, based on who I am and what they saw, my hopes and how I try to do things and how I handled that situation. So it went well. Their support was evident and much appreciated.”

The 49-year-old McDermott, in his seventh season as coach of the Bills, said he owes it to his players to focus on beating the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. But he also wanted to address the situation, as he previously claimed the report was an attack on his character.

“I think when this comes up in any of our lives, something like this, it definitely makes your mind spin,” McDermott said. 'Just be real. And it was disappointing. It's been painful. At the end of the day, I know who I am. Ultimately, I know how I handle myself. As I have humbly said, I am not without flaws. I wake up every morning and try to do my best to win games for the Buffalo Bills fans and do it the right way.”

McDermott had mentioned the hijackers during a team meeting in 2019, while emphasizing the importance of communication. Realizing how his message was being interpreted, McDermott said he called a second team meeting an hour later that day to apologize to his players.

He revisited those comments Thursday after an article on NFL writer Tyler Dunne's Substack page, citing numerous unnamed sources, revealed what McDermott had said during the meeting.

McDermott did not dispute what was reported about his comments.

On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed on September 11, with many killed by a hijacked plane that crashed into the World Trade Center (photo)

Bills GM Brandon Beane said McDermott confronted players about his comments this week

Safety Micah Hyde said McDermott's comments to the team on Thursday were sincere and well received.

“We're all sitting there supporting Sean and I don't think anyone felt any different about it,” Hyde said.

Hyde said he and other Bills players accepted McDermott's apology in 2019 and that the resurfaced comments would not be a distraction to the team.

“We all understood where he was coming from and afterwards what he meant,” Hyde said. “He explained that to us, so I didn't even think about that whole situation until I was asked about it yesterday.”

General manager Brandon Beane said McDermott's team speech Thursday “was very authentic.”

“He was very vulnerable,” Beane said. “And I know the guys, I think it resonated, without talking to every player. And like this team always does, the guys will rally around him.”

Beane supported McDermott's leadership style, saying, “I will support his character any day of the week.”