And The Firing Squad is on Duty.

[splakeshaker]

By Greg A. Bedard of the Journal Sentinel

Nov. 13, 2009 8:58 a.m.

Green Bay - Packers coach Mike McCarthy was asked about this morning's Journal Sentinel story that said a maintenance worker was fired because he made a comment to McCarthy before the Nov. 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Here's what McCarthy told Gene Mueller and John Jagler on Newsradio 620 WTMJ:

Question: Can you talk at all about the story in this morning's paper?

McCarthy: "Well, really, I haven't seen the story. I'm not really abreast of what was in the paper, so I don't really...I'm not in charge of the maintenance department, I can tell you that.

Question: It concerned a comment this maintenance worker supposedly made to you and then a couple days later he got fired.

McCarthy: "Well, I did not fire anybody in the maintenance department, I can tell you that."

Here is the story by Don Walker to which they were referring to.

Mike Woods, who has worked at Lambeau Field as a part-timer with the stadium's maintenance staff for the past 22 years, said he was fired a few days after he made a comment to McCarthy on the Thursday before the Vikings game.

Wood said he was sitting in a maintenance cart in a stadium tunnel when McCarthy was talking with members of the grounds crew.

With the season's most-hyped game only three days away, Wood said he yelled to McCarthy, "Hey coach, let's get the boys ready to kick some butt this weekend."

Before the game on Sunday, Woods was approached about the remarks and later fired:

Wood said he was told that McCarthy thought he heard him make a comment along the lines of "don't lay an egg" in the game.

"I'm telling you, I had no knowledge of that," Wood said he told Johnson.

Moments later, Wood said Ted Eisenreich, the team's director of facility operations, approached him.

"If you didn't say it, who did?" Eisenreich asked Wood.

"I said I didn't know," Wood answered.

The next thing Wood knew he was being escorted from Lambeau Field and told he was out of a job. "Allen said to me, 'Woody, we can't have that stuff. We have to let you go.' "

A Packers' team official confirmed that Wood was dismissed three days after the exchange and released the following statement:

"The organization has standards of conduct that apply to all employees, full-time and part-time, in order to maintain a respectful workplace. Mr. Wood's supervisors determined he made an inappropriate comment, and he was relieved of his duties."

[splakeshaker]

Are we really that sensitive? No wonder we don't play tough. Can't even handle a little wise-crack like that.

[Steve Foss]

With all due respect. We don't really know what happened. The employee told his side, the Packers told their side. Usually both tell it in a way to make themselves look as good as possible and the truth rests somewhere in the middle.

That being said, even if the guy did actually make a crack about not laying an egg, who cares? Is that a reason to get fired?

Man, talk about the Packers managers making a big deal out of small potatoes.

[Rick]

Is this behavior similar to how McCarthy and Packers handled the Brett Favre issue?

[Fish Head]

No, we don't know what really happened. But let's just assume for the sake of discussion that the Packers version was correct and he did make that wise crack.... SO WHAT?? He's there 22 years and he is fired for that??

Things are unraveling fast in cheese land.

[DTro]

Let's assume the Pack is 8-0.

NONE of this happens.

It's sour grapes if you ask me.

[Fish Head]

Agreed!

[Steve Foss]

Let's assume the Pack is 8-0.

A worthy goal for next year!

[SledNeck]

McCarthy just sealed his fate now

[Steve Foss]

McCarthy just sealed his fate now

Ahhhh, one of sled's usual cryptic statements. We're left wondering if he's referring to the latest worker firing or if McCarthy has done something else we haven't heard about. Would you care to elaborate, sled, or do you simply have the trolling rod locked firmly in its holder?

[splakeshaker]

Regardless of what happened, the media is now all over GB management for whatever they can find. Kinda sad to even have a report of something like that but there is a stir in the air in GB.

Reading the article, I don't think the worker was being all to honest with the media. I don't think his comments should cost him his job of 22 years either.

[caseymcq]

McCarthy just sealed his fate now

This will probably turn into a Chicago Cub like curse for the Pack.