ATLANTA – Falcons coach Lloyd Pierce was sacked on Monday after a disappointing start to a season of heightened expectations.
Atlanta President Travis Schlenk announced the move in a brief statement released by the team.
The Falcons are hopeful that Nate McMillan will choose to become the interim head coach, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN. McMillan is meeting with Pierce and the rest of the Falcons’ coaching staff, sources said. McMillan was very loyal in his support of Pierce.
The Hawks are 14-20 and 11th in the Eastern Conference after a 109-99 loss to Miami Sunday night. The teams play again in Miami on Tuesday.
“We want to thank Lloyd for his work and dedication to not only the Falcons organization, but also the city of Atlanta,” Schlenk said in the statement. Schlenk said the move, which takes place less than a week before Atlanta hosts the All-Star Game, is set to help the team get a revival in the second half.
“We have high expectations for our team on the track and believe by making this change now that we can have a strong second half of the season,” Schlenk said. Pierce, who was appointed in 2018, was 63-120 (.344) with the Hawks and missed the playoffs in each of his two completed seasons. Atlanta started the season 10-9, but has lost 11 of its last 15 games.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.