After coaching his last game for the next two months, New Orleans Saints interim coach Joe Vitt was unable to hide his emotions Thursday night.
"I just told the guys it's been my honor and my pleasure," Vitt said, via The Times-Picayune. "It really has been. You know the greats in this game like Paul Brown stepped away and the game went on. Don Shula stepped away and the game went on. George Halas stepped away and the game went on. The only person dreading this more is my wife."
Vitt's voice cracked as he spoke. On Monday, the coach will begin a six-game suspension for his involvement in the "bounty" scandal. Aaron Kromer, the NFL's first-ever interim to the interim coach, will step into Vitt's role until Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Drew Brees, who has turned these verbal love letters to departed coaches into standard operating procedure, had kind words as Vitt prepares to step aside.
"It's tough on so many levels," Brees said. "He's a football coach. More so than that, he's a teacher and mentor for so many people. This is what he loves doing and he has such a strong impact on all of us. It's hard on all of us. You try to tell yourself it's just six (games), but for him, it's going to feel like an eternity. I can only imagine what it feels like for Sean Payton as well."
Brees is so polished, he gleams.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
