The Arizona Cardinals will part ways with their running game coordinator and offensive line coach Sean Kugler before the game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinals apparently want to keep the circumstances secret – probably because it’s said to be sexual misconduct.

Munich/Mexico City – When coaches are fired from NFL teams, it usually happens right after games.

However, the Arizona Cardinals fired running game coordinator and offensive line coach Sean Kugler right before the game against the San Francisco 49ers (10:37), as reported by “NBC” among others.

According to “ESPN”, the reason is now also known. Kugler allegedly groped a woman in Mexico on the weekend before the game. Mexican authorities reportedly recorded the incident Sunday night and then informed the Cardinals.

The team then sent the O-line coach on a plane back to Arizona.

Incident between Kingsbury and Kugler may not be the reason after all

When Kugler wasn’t on the Cardinals’ sideline at Estadio Azteca, initial speculation was. When head coach Kliff Kingsbury was asked at Tuesday’s media roundtable if he had made any changes to his coaching staff, the usually loquacious Kingsbury answered only, “No.” That was just hours before the news was reported.

As American media speculated, there must have been an incident between the two coaches. Otherwise, you wouldn’t fire a coach hours before a landmark divisional duel.

The performance of the Cardinals offensive line is indeed capable of improvement, but there are increasing signs that the dismissal was not only for sporting reasons. Those reasons now seem to have been revealed.