Greg Schiano's tenure with the New England Patriots is over before he ever coached a game.
The former Ohio State defensive coordinator announced in a statement on Thursday that he is stepping down from his new position with the New England Patriots, less than two months after he was reportedly hired by the team to be their new defensive coordinator.
“I have informed Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick that I am stepping down from my position at the Patriots,” Schiano said in a statement released by the Patriots. “This is not the result of any one event, but rather a realization that I need to spend more time on my faith and family. I don’t want to look back years from now and wish I had done things differently. Therefore, I am taking time away from the game to recalibrate my priorities.”
Schiano's hire was never officially announced by the Patriots, but he was expected to take over as the team's defensive play-caller following the departure of Brian Flores, their de facto defensive coordinator last year, to become the Miami Dolphins' head coach.
Schiano was Ohio State's defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, but was not retained by new Ohio State head coach Ryan Day following a season in which Ohio State's defense gave up more points per game and more yards per game than any previous season in school history.
Kevin Duffy of the Boston Herald reported earlier this week that the Patriots were adding former Ohio State quality control coach Bob Fraser, who also worked with Schiano at Rutgers and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to their coaching staff.
