After working on their sobriety and recovery for years, Demi Lovato had a very public relapse and overdose, and eventually made a documentary about their experience. But following up recovery from that relapse, the singer frustrated some people in the sober community earlier this year when they declared themselves “California sober,” which basically means no hard drugs ever, but alcohol and weed in moderation. For many people in recovery, moderation itself is impossible, so Lovato’s claim that they could occasionally use alcohol and weed fell flat. Still, the process is different for everyone, so many still supported Demi in her journey.
Except, it seems like those hardline critics of Lovato’s “California sober” stance might’ve been in the right after all, because in an Instagram story this weekend the pop star let her fans and followers know that she is full-on sober now. “I no longer support my ‘California sober’ ways,’ they wrote in the story. “Sober sober is the only way to be.” Given how much the holidays lead into drinking and parties and overindulgence, it seems like an ideal time for Demi to double down on the decisions they’ve made to protect themselves. Kudos to you, Demi, we will always be rooting for you and supporting you. Check out the story below.
But on Sunday, they finally kicked that door down with a walkoff win of their own against the Minnesota Vikings in a game that may very well spell the end of the Mike Zimmer era in Minneapolis. The Lions led throughout the game, but rolled the dice with four minutes to play on a 4th and 1 inside their own 25, which ended disastrously for Jared Goff who got strip sacked.
That led to a Vikings touchdown to go up four with 1:50 seconds to play (they missed the two-point), and Detroit would need a touchdown drive in order to notch their first win of the season. Goff led the Lions down the field into the red zone, including their first third down conversion of the game, and, naturally, the game came down to a 4th and 2 from the 11.
The Vikings were playing very soft coverage and their defensive backs bailed too far into the end zone, allowing Amon-Ra St. Brown to hook up two yards into the end zone and catch the game winning touchdown pass from Goff. That win saves the Lions from going winless for the second time in a decade, and rewards a group that has been more competitive than their record indicates for not giving up on a season that has been nothing but pain — a familiar feeling in Detroit. For the Vikings, it is a dreadful loss that pushes them further from the playoff picture and could be the last straw for Mike Zimmer who has become loathed by the Minnesota faithful for late-game execution.
For most people, changing hair color is an exciting update that a few friends will notice and pay compliments to… when you’re Billie Eilish, that update is a news story. Or at least, Eilish set the tone for dramatic shifts in her hair back when she flipped the script from dark brunette with green streaks, and went full-on bombshell blonde for a Vogue cover that surprisingly showed off her figure, something she’d sought to avoid up until that point in her career. After that cover broke an Instagram record, racking up one million likes, it became clear that fashion statements from Billie were going to be very impactful.
And so a shift back in the brunette direction felt equally shocking when Eilish posted the new look on Instagram this weekend, especially considering all the promo for her Happier Than Ever album cycle was tied to her dramatically blonde, pouty look. Now that Grammy nominations are in place, maybe it felt like the right time to change things up again, as Eilish captioned the first post with her darker hair: “Miss me?” Though the pics are very close up, it looks like her hair might be significantly shorter, too.
Billie capped off the weekend by announcing that her “Male Fantasy” video would drop tomorrow morning, also noting that it was directed and edited by her. Take a look at the clip below and be on the lookout for that full video tomorrow.
While artists like Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin have made their love for Hanukkah known many times over with the “Hanukkah Sessions” covers, it wasn’t until this weekend that Haim sisters got into the action in a big way. Yes, Haim has been in the spotlight more for on camera roles in Licorice Pizza lately, so perhaps they thought it was time to remind people of their musical chops. Either way, the sisters took to social media on Friday to deliver what is hands down one of the best updates to “The Chanukah Song” by Adam Sandler, a classic SNL sketch that has lived in infamy since.
The sisterly trio wasted no time embodying the spirit of the song by adapting some of the lyrics to fit into a very 2021 mindset. Timothy Chalamet gets a mention, as does Maya Rudolph, Doja Cat, Rashida Jones, Japanese Breakfast, The Dessners, and there’s even a tribute to the recently-passed Stephen Sondheim. But even more so than the name drops, it’s the way the girls turn certain words into new versions that will rhyme with “Hanukkah” that really hearkens back to Sandler’s playful original.
“Sandler we love you,” they captioned their video, check out the update below:
Old Forester is one of the oldest whisky houses in America (yes, they spell whisky without the “e”). The brand has been on the shelves for over 150 consecutive years. It’s also the first brand of whisky to be sold on the open market in sealed bottles (prior to this innovation, whisky was often just sold out of barrels at grocery stores).
All of this is to say, Old Forester has been putting out a lot of great whisky for a mighty long while now. So we’re ranking all their standard and limited release bottles — 14 expressions, judged on taste alone.
Your ability to find these bottles or their price doesn’t play into this ranking at all. Moreover, this is based largely on tasting 2021 versions of these bottles over the past six-ish months — so if you have a bottle that’s been cellared for 20 years, we can’t speak to that (although… fun!).
Sound good? Let’s dive in and discover the best bottles of Old Forester out there!
Old Forester’s 86 Proof is a very straightforward whisky. The mash bill is mid-range rye with 18 percent next to 72 percent corn and a final ten percent malted barley (the same bill for all their bourbon). The juice is aged in a fairly heavily charred oak barrel for an undisclosed amount of time (the youngest barrel is likely older than four years). The whisky is then blended and proofed down to a very manageable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
This has a big nose of vanilla-cherry tobacco with a hint of fresh mint lurking in the background next to a touch of floral honey. The taste has a grilled corn-on-the-cob vibe with a hint of pepper and butter next to small doses of citrus and soft oak. The end is surprisingly long and leaves you with a spicy warmth and a touch more of that sweet corn and butter.
Bottom Line:
This is a perfectly suitable entry-point whisky. It’s great for mixing but needs a fair bit of ice to work as a sipper. And that’s why we’re starting this ranking with it. Old Forestes knows this is a mixing bourbon, so let’s treat it like that.
Old Forester’s rye is comprised of 65 percent rye, 20 percent malted barley, and 15 percent corn. That gives the rye a very “Kentucky Rye” feel with that sweet corn shining through. The juice spends an undisclosed amount of time aging before it’s vatted, proofed down with that soft Kentucky limestone water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
The nose draws you in with a soft wildflower nature next to hints of crafty root beer that’s a bit sweet but served with a lemon wedge. The taste leans into the spice of that root beer as holiday spices with a lot of cinnamon kicks up on the palate with a slight touch of stewed apple, black pepper, and maybe a hint of dried dill. The mid-palate brings back that citrus before going all-in on the brown spices and black pepper with a warm end that’s accented by dry cedar.
Bottom Line:
This is a perfectly suitable rye that shines in a Manhattan. The spice isn’t overpowering and the sweet balances everything out. Still, this is a mixer far more than a sipper.
This line of bourbon is a stone-cold classic. Their 100-proof expression is made in the same way as their 86 proof. The key difference is after these barrels are blended, they’re barely touched with water, keeping the proof very hearty.
Tasting Notes:
Oak and caramel draw you in on the nose with a nice dose of cherry candy and a hint of coffee bitterness. The palate wallows in vanilla as a spicy apple pie with a vanilla-flecked, buttery crust drives the taste. The oak, apple, and spice really power the dram home with a medium-length fade and plenty of bourbon warmth.
Bottom Line:
This is very close to the 86 proof above with a little more refinement and barrel in the mix. For me, that makes it a more refined mixer that you want to use in cocktails and less in highballs. Leave the Coke behind and break out the vermouth!
This is classic Old Forester from a single barrel that’s not cut with any water. When you find these, they’ll generally be a pick from a retailer or bar program. That means they’ll vary slightly, depending on what the person picking the barrel was looking for. Still, there’s a consistency of “Old Forester” running through them all.
Tasting Note:
Based on a single barrel I tasted at Louisville retailer, there’s a clear sense of dark fruit, especially cherry, that becomes stewed with dark winter spices on the nose with a good dose of dry tobacco in an old cedar box that’s wrapped up in old leather. A hint of old dry roses sneaks in on the palate as those spices and syrupy cherry and berries intensify and attach to the chewy tobacco. The mid-palate sweetens with an almost rose-water marzipan vibe as the cherry tobacco dried out pretty significantly, leaving you with a sense of pitchy pine sap and your grandparent’s old tobacco pipe that’s still hot to touch.
Bottom Line:
The end on this is pretty damn warm and that slightly overpowered the finish for me. If you are looking for single barrels from Old Forester, I’d recommend going for a lower proof — more on that later.
This is where we get into the “year” whiskies from Old Forester. This one celebrates the distillery’s founding in 1870. Back in the day, Geroge Brown would pull barrels from his three distilleries to create a consistent blend to bottle. Today, the good folks at Brown-Forman pull three barrels from three of their warehouses. Each barrel will have a different day of distillation, a different entry proof before aging, and different ages. Those barrels are married and then proofed down.
Tasting Note:
This opens with a rush of fresh wildflowers next to bold citrus notes, especially grapefruit and orange oils with a dash of lemon zest in the mix. The taste takes that lemon and layers it into a very vanilla and butter-forward shortbread with a dusting of raw sugar that leads towards an eggnog spice mix. That spiciness drives the finish as a hint of cherry and lemon mingle on the warm and fairly long end.
Bottom Line:
This is where we’re getting into the “Well, that’s really nice” territory. I dig this as a sipper on the rocks but it really shines in a whisky sour thanks to those bold citrus notes.
Yes, this is technically a gimmick whisky. The expression was released as a tie-in to Kingsman: The Golden Circle. But that doesn’t really matter –this is an exceptional bottle of whisky. The barrels are all hand-selected from the hottest corners of the warehouse and small-batched to create a deep character and bold presence.
Tasting Notes:
Moist, dark chocolate cake with cloves and oak mix with a flourish of vanilla on the nose. The taste holds onto the spice and amps it into Christmas spice territory with a focus on woody cinnamon next to worn leather and buttery toffee. A dry floral note arrives late with a burst of orange that leans creamy (almost like a sherbert) comingling with all that vanilla and toffee.
Bottom Line:
This continues to be a solid on the rocks bourbon. Though I did try this in an old fashioned recently and it was excellent, thanks to all that spice and orange.
Getting back to the years on the bottles, this expression “celebrates” the Volstead Act of 1920, which pretty much banned alcohol in the U.S. What this is really celebrating is that Old Forester was one of only six distilleries that was able to keep making and selling whisky (for medicinal purposes) during Prohibition. And that era’s production is what this blend mimics.
Tasting Note:
That classic choco-cherry note that a lot of Old Forester has comes through on the top of this nose with maple syrup-soaked cedar next to a faint touch of caramel apple. The palate is slightly nutty, bordering on Pecan Sandies, with a continuation of that maple syrup leading towards light pepperiness that’s almost like cumin as the cedar comes back into play. The mid-palate sweetens pretty dramatically with a Caro Syrup feel to it as the spice hits on a wintery vibe and the taste ends with a finish of (almost smoked) dark chocolate powder on the very backend.
Bottom Line:
This is just interesting. It’s a huge outlier for the brand and really hits a lot of great tasting notes. It builds, it makes sense, and it tastes pretty damn good, especially when you really let it bloom with some water or a rock.
Back in 1910, there was a fire at Old Forester which stopped bottling. Whiskies that were ready had to be re-barreled while everything was rebuilt. This created a great bourbon that’s being replicated in the modern day. To do this, Old Forester is re-barreling bourbon for a second maturation before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Note:
Stone fruit really drives the nose with hints of apricot and maybe plum next to sweet and soft cedar and black tea-infused dates. Those dates become a rich and spicy sticky toffee pudding with a thick brandy butter topping next to a hint of oatmeal raisin cookies. The sweetness of the mid-palate gives way to a dark chocolate feel with a flake of salt, a hint of masa, and plenty of wintry spice leading back to that dark stone fruit with tobacco dryness at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty refined sipper at a great price point. Pour this over a rock or two and you’ll be set.
This is the same vibe as the single barrel above. The key difference is that these barrel picks are proofed down to 100 proof before bottling.
Tasting Note:
I tried this from a retailer in Louisville as well and it had a subtle nose of cherry blossom next to a woody maple syrup that almost felt like it had some of the bark in there next to a nice dose of winter spice. The taste complimented the nose with light florals and plummy fruit next to a touch of cherry syrup-soaked cedar planks and a bushel of dark spices. The mid-palate had a slight dark chocolate-covered espresso bean feel to it that led to a finish that was slightly bitter and full of dark fruit and warm spice.
Bottom Line:
Again, this will vary depending on which barrel pick you come across. That being said, this was miles above the barrel strength version for me. It’s refined, accessible, and very deeply flavored with clear “Old Forester” tastes.
This new release from Old Forester is their signature rye in a single barrel format. It’s bottled without any filtration or cutting with water.
Tasting Note:
The lemon really shines on the nose to the point that it turns into a pudding with hints of burnt sugar and salted caramel backing it up. The palate takes a bunch of cinnamon sticks and soaks them in apple, cherry, and plum juice then dries them out while hazelnut builds to an almost Nutella level and that dried dill just sneaks in. The mid-palate really leans into the cinnamon and hazelnut until bold cinnamon attaches to a dry cedar box for very dry and peppery tobacco that’s just touched with mint.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty damn fine rye. It also goes down almost shockingly easy for a cask-strength whisky. The spice is tempered well by the fruit and sweetness, making this a solid sipper on the rocks or in an amazing Sazerac.
This special release from Old Forester celebrates 150 years of whisky making by the brand with “150” at the core of the line. Master Taster Jackie Zykan created three batches of this limited release from 150 barrels that were specifically selected by Master Distiller Chris Morris. Once these bottles are gone, there won’t be a whisky like this from Old Forester again.
Tasting Notes:
Based on Batch no. 1, you’ll be greeted with a mingling of menthol and anise with rich and buttery caramel next to a hint of holiday spices and a touch of sweet fruit. The palate embraces the holiday spice and adds in a peppery edge while the sweetness leans towards pancake syrup with a hint of dark chocolate and old wood beams lurking in the background. The finish marries the dark chocolate to the almost chili pepper spice on the medium-length finish as flourishes of orange oils, wet leather, and salted caramel kettle corn linger on your nicely warmed senses.
Bottom Line:
These were pretty solid whiskies all around but didn’t quite hit the amazing highs of the next whiskies on the list. Still, you can drink this on the rocks all day and never be bored.
Every year, Old Forester releases their most anticipated whisky, Birthday Bourbon. This year’s release was a 12-year-old blend created from 119 barrels of the good stuff.
Tasting Note:
Berries really drive this nose with raspberries in cream next to blackberry compote, Luxardo cherries, and a touch of cranberry bread with walnuts, plenty of spice, and a moist, buttery, vanilla-laden cake vibe. The palate holds onto the syrupy cherry notes but veers more towards vanilla cream with woody spices, buttery toffee, marzipan, and a touch of green pepper pretty far in the background. The mid-palate has an old cigar box feel to it that dries everything out from the cherry to the vanilla, creating a sort of thin pecan cookie vibe with dry spice, tobacco, and berries in the mix.
Bottom Line:
I know this is the most sought-after expression from Old Forester. But this year’s drop wasn’t their best. And even then, this is still a top-four bourbon from the brand, without a single doubt. Good luck on your hunt for this one.
Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond is the brand’s throwback bottle that celebrates the 1897 act that brought the world bottled-in-bond whisky. The juice in the bottle is a mid-rye bourbon mash that’s aged, proofed, and bottled in accordance with the bonded laws and regulations.
Tasting Notes:
This drips with caramel on the nose — the kind that’s a bit tacky and chewy — alongside a touch of orange blossom and maybe a vanilla latte. That vanilla and bitter espresso bean note carry on through the palate as a bowl of red and stone fruits soak in a bowl of brandy with plenty of cinnamon sticks and allspice berries thrown in too. The finish marries all those notes while leaning heavily into the caramel sweetness as it fades away at a good clip.
Bottom Line:
This is both a great whisky and a great bottled-in-bond. It just hits every note so well that you’re left really searching to try and find any faults (there aren’t many). It’s also a great cocktail bourbon that kills in a Manhattan, Sazerac, or boulevardier.
No, this isn’t a bottle made for the U.S. president. The juice in this expression is a single barrel, hand-picked by Brown-Forman President Campbell Brown (a direct descendant of George Brown who started the company) with the help of Master Taster Jackie Zykan.
Tasting Note:
Based on last year’s release, this whisky opens with a salted caramel apple nose that edges towards apple saltwater taffy with a creamy layer of spicy dark chocolate and a touch of orange blossoms. The palate takes the wintry spices and attaches them to the creaminess, creating an egg nog feel to the taste that leans into dark fruits and a hint of toasted coconut cream pie. The end holds onto the spice but focuses more on anise (and maybe fennel) while the caramel and spice attach to sticky tobacco with a warming end.
Bottom Line:
The next release is going to be sent out in early January but you can enter to win the chance to buy one right now. These are extremely limited and worth the effort to try and at least win one. You won’t be disappointed when you crack it open.
1. Old Forester The 117 Series: High Angels’ Share
Old Forester’s Master Taster Jackie Zykan released this new line from the iconic brand last spring. The whisky is a blend of barrels that all lost a lot of juice to evaporation (or the angel’s). Those barrels were then vatted and just proofed to 110 before bottling in half-bottles.
Tasting Notes:
A dark and deep spice layer draws you in with that classic Old Foresters vibe of tart red berries, coconut cream pie, and plenty of wet brown sugar on the nose. The palate leans into the dessert vibes as the berries turn into a sweet blueberries pie with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg next to dry cedar and anise. The finish really takes its time as the thick juice coats your mouth, leaving you with hints of spicy absinthe, cherry tobacco, and dark roasted coffee beans.
Bottom Line:
This was a highwater mark for both the year in whisky and the brand in general. While these half-bottles are going to be harder to find, they’re stellar whiskies that really drive home the beauty of the brand’s warehouses full of whisky.
Now that Britney Spears has finally been freed from her overbearingly abusive and possibly illegal conservatorship, the pop star has been more active than ever on Instagram. Not that she took any breaks before, but now, she’s using the platform to actually express some of the feelings she was having while her life was being controlled by others. One of her most recent posts is a little different than some of the others, where she’s worn revealing outfits or posted about going on trips with her fiance, Sam Asghari. In this video, Britney instead impersonates some of the therapists she was forced to see by her family during her conservatorship. It’s worth noting that she is a pretty damn good actress because the voices she’s doing don’t sound like her at all, and if you’ve been around counselors or healers at all, the scripts she’s using are pretty standard, too. Check out some of her impressions below:
The truth is, whether you find a good therapist or not has a lot to do with making a connection — just like in any relationship — and that connection could never happen if you’re being forced to go to therapy against your will. Here’s another reason to celebrate the fact that Britney is now free. Still, according to her caption there’s no real hard feelings on her part: “As much therapy as I’ve had to do against my will … being forced to pay and listen to women telling me how they are going to further my success … it was a joy … no really … 10 hours a day, 7 days a week … no lie … in this beautiful nation it would only be fair for me to dedicate my life to skits to the wonderful therapist,” she wrote. And as far as the end, well that’s just her celebrating: “The end is me celebrating … it’s clearly OVER because my medication is working ‘Murica.”
A new report from Input Magazine alleges that a former reporter at The New York Times exploited a number of artists for personal gain. Ian Urbina is accused of seeking out artists to give him music that he would put on a soundtrack to accompany the release of his book The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across The Last Untamed Frontier, which arrived in August of 2019. Urbina described it as a “passion project” and said that a company, Synesthesia Media, would handle the distribution of the music through streaming services. He also claimed that $50,000 was earmarked for the project and that Spotify, Netflix, and book publishing house Knopf were all building content around the soundtrack.
The deal Urbina worked out with the artists that submitted music to him involved him receiving 50% of the revenue they made from the song(s). In exchange, he promised to use his platform and the interest generated behind the project to promote the artists and their work. He claimed that the artists would receive a bigger boost in their careers through working with him.
But many of the artists claim that the promotion behind the songs was extremely minimal. One, Benn Jordan, who performs under the name The Flashbulb, made a video about Urbina’s project, which he called a “scam,” and shared it on YouTube.
In the end, at least 462 artists partnered with Urbina and more than 2,100 songs in total were submitted to him. Brian Trifon, who works under the alias Trifonic, says he signed on to work with Urbina, but after suspecting something was off with the project, he ended up submitting a single song rather than the EP that was part of their agreement. “I saw that there was a good chance the scope was expanding to more than just a handful of artists,” he said. “97 percent was my materials and sounds and I was no longer thrilled to be giving up 50 percent of it.”
He added, “But there was no Netflix, Spotify, Knopf or NYT special support. It was all 100 percent about his book and even that, not many people seemed to care. I’ve worked in music long enough that I know that sh*t happens and I just moved on, but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.”
Urbina declined to comment about the matter and directed Input to a statement published by Synesthesia. “The video is inaccurate,” it read, adding that the project’s goal was to amplify journalism, highlight issues covered by the reporting, “and if possible, to develop additional funding to support more reporting.” It continues, “We deeply value our artist relationships. We have always wanted our partners to share our vision.” The statement also says that artists no longer interested in signing off a portion of their revenue to Urbina can release themselves from the agreement and that Synesthesia will “direct 100 percent of all such revenues to the artist.”
Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for NYT, says the publication is aware of Jordan’s video. “The allegations are troubling,” she says. “We are currently looking into the matter.” Urbina departed the New York Times on May 30, 2019.
You can read the full report from Input Magazinehere and view the video from Jordan above.
Since losing to South Carolina in the Bahamas in a thrilling 1 vs. 2 showdown, the UConn women’s basketball team has gotten back on track with a pair of dominant wins over Seton Hall and, on Sunday, No. 24 Notre Dame.
The Huskies are led by sophomore star Paige Bueckers, who led the way with 22 points, four rebounds, and four assists in the win over the Irish, but disaster struck in the final minute when Bueckers injured her knee bringing the ball up the floor, as her front leg slid out in front of her awkwardly. Bueckers would continue to bring the ball up the floor to get it across the halfcourt line but would then fall to the floor and need to be helped off after being attended to.
UConn beat Notre Dame but Paige Bueckers was carried off the floor after hurting her ankle with under a minute left. pic.twitter.com/C4Wh7SzDh7
After the game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma told reporters they believed Bueckers suffered a hyperextension of her knee, but that since it hadn’t gotten twisted during the injury the hope was she avoided something more severe.
Geno added that the doctors said Bueckers’ knee didn’t twist, which would’ve been “really bad.”
Bueckers will have an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, but hopefully it will not be something that will end her season and she can return sooner than later as the Huskies seek out another national title run.
Poor Dr. Anthony Fauci. Not only has he done his best to help Americans battle a once-in-a-century public health crisis; he’s also had to put up with relentless nonsense from conservatives. Last week, the perpetually embattled immunologist had to deal with Ted Cruz saying he should be prosecuted (for…?). Then there was Fox Nation host Lara Logan, who bizarrely compared him to Dr. Joseph Mengele. And on Sunday, he had to take the time to clap back at yet another trash-talking Republican.
Wisconsin senator Ron Johnson — already well-known for calling the Jan. 6 Capitol siege a “peaceful protest” — recently dragged Dr. Fauci over what he saw was an embellishment of the severity of a virus that has killed more Americans the Civil War.
“By the way, Fauci did the same exact thing with AIDS,” Johnson told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade. “He overhyped it. He created all kinds of fear, saying it could infect the entire population when it couldn’t, and he’s doing, he’s using the exact same playbook with COVID: ignoring therapy, pushing a vaccine.”
On Sunday during an appearance on CNN, host Jake Tapper asked him about Johnson’s “bizarre and false assertion.”
Fauci on Sen. Ron Johnson saying he’s “overhyped” Covid: “How do you respond to something as preposterous as that? … Overhyping Covid? It’s already killed 780,000 Americans and over 5 million people worldwide. So I don’t have any clue of what he’s talking about.” pic.twitter.com/ENgXo6jJIK
“You know, Jake, how do you respond to something as preposterous as that?!” an exasperated Fauci replied. “Overhyping AIDS? It killed over 750,000 Americans and 36 million people worldwide. How do you overhype that? Overhyping COVID? It’s already killed 780,000 Americans and over 5 million people worldwide, so I don’t have any clue what he’s talking about.”
After LSU won the 2019 national championship, offensive coordinator Joe Brady was one of the hottest names in coaching, getting buzz as a potential future head coach at both the college and NFL levels. When Matt Rhule left Baylor for the Carolina Panthers that summer, he brought Brady with him to be his offensive coordinator in hopes of creating a high-powered offense in Charlotte.
Through a season-plus, that hasn’t come to fruition, and while there’s plenty of reason to think that’s in part due to personnel and a less than stellar quarterback room in his two seasons, the wunderkind hasn’t schemed it up to the level of success Carolina hoped for. On Sunday, the Panthers, who are on their bye week, decided right after kickoff in the 1 p.m. window was a great time to make an announcement that they had fired Brady and would be making an OC change during their bye.
“I met with Joe this morning and informed him that I have decided to make a change,” said Matt Rhule in a statement. “I’m very grateful to him for his time and effort in helping us get established over this past year and a half.”
The timing is fascinating, but it might’ve been at the request of Brady that, if a change was going to get made no matter what, they do so now so he can get his name in the mix for some of the high profile positions open at the college level currently. A return to Baton Rouge is certainly in play, as Brian Kelly was unable to get Tommy Rees to join him in leaving Notre Dame and needs a coordinator, while other major OC jobs could be in play like Oklahoma — which is expected to hire Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables as head coach.
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