'We both wept': Cowboys' Schottenheimer describes emotional call after starter's trade
It's the nature of the business, but it's still hard to say goodbye. The Cowboys HC and Osa Odighizuwa had a moment after his trade to the 49ers.
In the annual big-money frenzy of the NFL offseason, it's sometimes easy to forget the very human toll that the business side of the sport can take on those who make it their livelihood. Sure, that veteran superstar saw multiple teams publicly fight with one another to bid for his services, offering millions upon millions of dollars to simply put on a different color jersey and re-energize the Super Bowl dreams of an entirely new fanbase. But that high-stakes, red-carpet change of scenery also means uprooting a family, saying goodbye to a community, and parting ways with men who have developed a bond that's far more brotherhood than it is mere co-worker camaraderie.
It goes that way for coaches, too. For Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, it's part of the job, but it can also be a tough pill to swallow. Heading into his second year at the helm in Dallas, Schottenheimer has revealed just how difficult it was to send one of his players off to an NFC rival.
He spoke this week on the March 12 trade that shipped defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco in exchange for the 92nd overall pick in this year's draft. "Anytime you go through a scheme change, there's going to be adjustments where you move on from an incredible person, an incredible leader in Osa. That was one of the hard ones," Schottenheimer said Monday from the league meetings in Phoenix.
"I'm happy to share with you guys, I wept. We both wept on the phone together. It was hard, but that's the nature of the business.