The Glazer family is facing mounting pressure to make changes in the leadership of their sports franchises, with growing concerns surrounding the future of Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach, Todd Bowles.
Both teams owned by the Glazers are experiencing sluggish starts to their respective seasons. Manchester United currently finds itself in the eighth position in the Premier League after 11 games, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have suffered four consecutive losses and stand third in the NFC South.
Despite having promising debut seasons, both Bowles and Ten Hag are grappling with underperformance in their second year. Manchester United secured a third-place finish last year and earned a Champions League berth. In contrast, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched their division and reached the Wild-Card Round of the NFL playoffs.
A recent victory over Fulham appears to have granted Ten Hag a temporary reprieve at Old Trafford. However, Bowles is under increasing scrutiny following another demoralizing defeat. The Buccaneers held a four-point lead against the Houston Texans with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, only to witness the hosts score a last-minute touchdown with six seconds left on the clock.
In the previous week, the team fell short with a 24-18 loss to the Buffalo Bills, despite tying the game 10-10 in the second quarter. October also witnessed a defeat to divisional rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, courtesy of a last-second 51-foot field goal by Younghoe Koo.
Overall, the Buccaneers have lost five of their last six games after an initial season start with consecutive wins. They now face the prospect of missing the postseason for the first time since 2019.
Adding to the challenge, the 2023 season marks the first without the legendary quarterback Tom Brady, who led the team to a Super Bowl championship during his debut campaign. It’s worth noting that Bowles was the defensive coordinator for that triumphant season.
Replacing long-time head coach Bruce Arians last offseason, Bowles is now finding himself on the hot seat as the relatively new head coach. After the recent game, he didn’t hold back, stating, “It’s a devastating loss, no doubt about it. We gotta eat it, and all of us feel the same way, especially me.”
With strong words, he expressed, “I’ve been coaching for a long time, and I haven’t been involved in too many games like that, where it was back and forth, only to end up on the losing side with a few things happening. We gotta take responsibility, and we should be frustrated all week. We own it.”
Bryan, Edward, and Joel Glazer serve as co-chairmen of the organization, while Darcie Glazer Kassewitz is the president of the front office.