Ray Horton shot down a report that he planned on joining the Cleveland Browns, telling ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky that he is in discussions with the Tennessee Titans about a contract extension.
Ray Horton disputes report he will join Browns because of Titans’ disrespect
Horton says a report he is leaving the Titans because he was an afterthought for the head coaching job is not accurate.
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Horton, 55, was interviewed for the head coaching job with the Tennessee Titans, and a report on Sunday from The Tennessean alleged that he felt so disrespected and insulted by the process that he spurned his defensive coordinator job with the team to take the same position with the Cleveland Browns.
He told Kuharsky shortly after the report was released that it was inaccurate and that he appreciated the interview he received from Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk:
“I’m not insulted. I was very happy Mrs. Strunk gave me an interview. I think she was very impressed with me. I was told some ideas I gave are going to be implemented. I’m still under contract. I’m talking about a contract extension. The insulted comment is not true. I’m very happy. I was very happy to be interviewed.” Horton’s contract is not expiring.
Horton finished his second season with the Titans, helping the team improve from No. 27 in total defense during his first year in Tennessee to No. 12 in 2015. Prior to joining the Titans, Horton spent one year as the defensive coordinator in Cleveland, but left after the team fired Rob Chudzinski and eventually replaced him with Mike Pettine.
John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes minority hiring in the NFL, told The Tennessee that the Titans “insulted” Horton during the interview process that ended with Mike Mularkey named the team’s head coach.
“The Browns had put in a request to interview him, and then Tennessee interviewed him (for the head coaching job Saturday),” Wooten said. “And they said that they didn’t know that he had any interest in being a head coach. Well, that’s an insult to the man. That is just an insult.
“And then when he got in the interview, they seemed shocked that he was as prepared and knowledgeable and everything else at that point,” Wooten said. “And they of course already interviewed Mularkey on Friday, and they gave the job to Mularkey.”
Horton spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals in 2011 and 2012, and left the position after he was passed over as a replacement for Ken Whisenhunt. When the team elected to hire Bruce Arians as head coach instead, Horton reportedly had a heated exchange with Cardinals general manager Steve Keim and joined the Browns coaching staff for the subsequent season.
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