Manny Diaz slams Miami in lengthy statement after his strange dismissal

Former Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz posted a lengthy statement on Twitter Monday, in which he expressed his disappointment in the way the athletic department handled his firing and the hiring of Mario Cristobal.

Cristobal has been linked to Miami for most of the past week, despite Oregon playing in the Pac-12 Championship game last Saturday. All the while, the Hurricanes were in pursuit of a new head coach without an athletic director (since then, reports have clarified that the Hurricanes zeroed in on Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich) and with a sitting head coach. Diaz had not been fired for almost the entirety of the coaching search, leaving him in a tough situation: he was forced to continue recruiting and minding his business as usual, despite a cloudy future and reports that the university was trying to replace him.

Eventually, Miami announced on Monday morning that it was parting ways with Diaz. Rather than naming an interim coach, the university announced the hiring of Cristobal a mere few hours later.

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— Manny Diaz (@Coach_MannyDiaz) December 6, 2021

“I am disappointed in the University’s decision and the manner in which this played out over the last few weeks,” Diaz said, in part. “The uncertainty impacted our team, our staff and their families — these are real people that gave everything to this program. For that, for them, I hurt.”

Not only did Miami pursue a new coach while Cristobal was still the sitting head coach, but Diaz had turned around what once looked to be a murky 2021 season for the Miami Hurricanes. Though Miami certainly disappointed from its No. 14 AP Preseason ranking, Diaz was able to lead them to a 7-5 record and a bowl game. Miami is set to face the Washington State Cougars in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.

Diaz’s Miami career ended after three short years at the helm. He went 21-15 and clinched bowl games in all three seasons at the helm.

Miami officially hires Mario Cristobal, replacing Manny Diaz

The Miami Hurricanes announced on Twitter Monday that it has hired Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal. The news came just hours after Manny Diaz’s firing.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Mario, his wife, Jessica, and their sons Mario Mateo and Rocco home to Miami,” Miami president Julio Frenk said in a press release. “Mario’s legacy as a student-athlete at the U is well established. And the standard for competitive excellence that he and his teammates helped establish is one to which we continue to aspire. Our selection, however, was not one based in nostalgia for a proud past, but rather in a bold vision for a promising future.

“The characteristics that helped Mario excel as a national championship-winning player—drive, determination, and discipline—continue to propel his success as a coach. In Mario we have found a head coach who shares our belief in providing student-athletes with the very best opportunities to succeed on and off the field, and our commitment to winning at the highest level.”

Cristobal has been linked to Miami for most of the past week, despite Oregon playing in the Pac-12 Championship game Saturday with a bowl game still left on schedule. Cristobal is a Miami native who played for the Hurricanes from 1989-92 before starting his coaching career in 1998 as a graduate assistant. The 51-year old coach spent time on staff from 1998-2000, then again as the tight end coach and offensive line coach from 2004-2006.