Wednesday 7 February 2018 22:28, UK
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard says the franchise’s rivalry with the New England Patriots has been renewed after they were shunned by Josh McDaniels.
McDaniels was a key figure for the Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick, whose team fell to a 41-33 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday's Super Bowl.
Ballard, who was due to introduce the 41-year-old in a press conference on Wednesday, addressed the media alone and vowed to challenge the Patriots' domination of the AFC.
"The rivalry is back on," he said.
Revealing he had a brief exchange with McDaniels after hearing of his uncertainty, Ballard added: "I just said: 'I need a yes or no answer. Are you in or out?'
"We went around for a minute and he said he's out and I said, 'OK, we're gonna move forward. I wish you the best of luck.'
"There was no persuasion. We have work to do. I want someone that's 100 percent committed to partnering with us and getting that work done."
The Colts are now reviewing their options once more, but Ballard remains confident of hiring a new head coach soon.
"You can bet we're going to get there," he said. "Unquestionably, we're going to get there.
"We have a list of candidates. We've had them from the get-go.
"We'll move forward with them and we will get the right leader for the Indianapolis Colts - one that believes what we believe and wants to go where we want to go."