Doug Whaley
| Date of birth | December 16, 1972 |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| US college | University of Pittsburgh |
| High school | Upper St. Clair High School (PA) |
Douglass G. Whaley (born December 16, 1972[1]) is an American football executive and former collegiate player. He is the current General Manager of the Buffalo Bills. He succeeded Buddy Nix as general manager.
Early life
Whaley was born in Pittsburgh, where he played high school football and went on to play at the collegiate level.[2] He played college football at Pitt as a defensive back, collecting 4 interceptions during his tenure.[3]
Career
Pittsburgh Steelers
Whaley worked for the Steelers as a pro personnel coordinator. He worked there for 10 years before accepting the Buffalo Bills job. Whaley worked directly under Kevin Colbert the Director of Football Operations.[4] In his time with the Steelers, Whaley helped scout and draft great defensive talent such as Lamarr Woodley, Troy Polamalu and Lawrence Timmons.
Buffalo Bills
Whaley was named assistant general manager and Director of Pro Personnel of the Buffalo Bills on February 10, 2010. Whaley oversaw the team's Pro Personnel department and assisted General Manager Buddy Nix in all football-related administrative duties and in the college talent evaluation process until Nix stepped down from the general manager position on May 13, 2013. Whaley became Buffalo's GM three days later.[5]
Whaley was, in conjunction with owners Terry and Kim Pegula and President Russ Brandon, responsible for the hiring of head coach Rex Ryan. After Ryan was relieved of his duties, the team announced that Whaley would lead the search for Ryan's successor.
On January 10, 2016, Whaley agreed to a contract extension offered to him by the Bills.
Controversies
S
E-mail gaffe
Whaley gained unwanted notoriety in 2007, when an inappropriate e-mail that he had sent to Steelers assistant coach Larry Zierlein was inadvertently forwarded by Zierlein to a large number of high-level NFL employees, including commissioner Roger Goodell. Zierlein apologized for the gaffe, and it is believed that neither he nor Whaley was disciplined by the team or the league.[6]
Radio remark
In a May 2016 radio interview, Whaley said of football: "It's a violent game that I personally don't think humans are supposed to play."[7]
Tyrod Taylor Benching
In December 2016, Whaley refused to explain his decision to bench the Bills' starting quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, prior to the last regular season game. Instead, interim head coach Anthony Lynn was forced to address questions from the media, and in an unscripted response, advised Taylor's benching was a 'business decision'. Whaley did not publicly comment on the decision.
References
- ^ "Bills: Who is Doug Whaley and is he next in line?". Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ Thorman, Joel (December 22, 2008). "Getting to Know a GM: Doug Whaley". Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ "Doug Whaley". Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ "Whaley brings Steelers ways to Buffalo, banks on top pick Manuel". Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ "Bills name Doug Whaley GM". ESPN. Associated Press. May 16, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (May 23, 2007). "Blogger says Steelers' Zierlein inadvertently forwarded porn to NFL officials". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- ^ Tyler Dunne (May 24, 2016). "Bills GM Doug Whaley: Humans are not supposed to play football". The Buffalo News. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
External links
 | This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (August 2016) |
- Q&A with Doug Whaley, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, November 16, 2006
- Bouchette on the Steelers: Bill Cowher's brief flirtation with Browns a peek into future?, Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 4, 2009
- Getting to Know a GM: Doug Whaley, ArrowheadPride.com (KC Chiefs blog), December 22, 2008