Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He nearly walked away just one season after winning the Super Bowl.
McVay made an appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast where he revealed that burnout and a disastrous 5-12 season led to him consider retirement.
That 5-12 campaign came in 2022, just a year after the Rams won Super Bowl LVI at their home stadium.
‘But it took that 5-12 year where you’re really getting broken down,’ McVay admitted recently on the podcast. ‘I almost quit coaching.’
The coach, who was 36 at the time he was considering retirement, admitted to counting down the days until the season ended.
He also referred to himself as a ‘fraud’ for his lack of perseverance through his first losing season.
Rams boss Sean McVay admitted he once considered leaving the sport after a bad season
However, he credits his wife, Veronika, for saying an important phrase to keep him in the game
McVay remains in the NFL and admits the idea of quitting ‘feels so laughable’
While McVay, now 40, has long been tapped for a broadcast job when he leaves coaching, he admitted any offers to take that role after 2022 would’ve been a facade for the real reason.
‘The reality is, I would have been quitting because I couldn’t handle the losing. It was almost like a scarlet letter,’ he admitted.
But McVay credits his wife, Veronika, for saying the one line which changed his mind.
‘She’s like, “You know, that never really sounded like the kind of leader you wanted to be,”‘ McVay recalled. ‘Boom. It hit me like a ton of bricks.’
McVay says he was forced to re-think how he coached. He also wished to set the right example for his growing family.
The coach and his wife welcomed their first son, Jordan, in 2023. Two years later, their second son, Christian, arrived.
‘I’ll never be able to look at my little boy when he grows up and goes through adversity and say, “Do as I say, not as I did,”‘ McVay said.
These days, McVay has a better approach to coaching and now admits that the concept of leaving the profession ‘feels so laughable.’
