The NFL's Arizona Cardinals fired offensive line coach and running game coordinator Sean Kugler in Mexico City over the weekend — just hours before the franchise's "Monday Night Football" international clash with the San Francisco 49ers — due to an alleged groping incident involving an unidentified woman.
According to ESPN, Mexican law-enforcement officials were notified of the incident from Sunday night, and subsequently alerted the Cardinals organization to the matter.
The following morning, after he had been terminated by the club, Kugler flew back to Arizona.
"We relieved [Kugler] of his duties, and he was sent home Monday morning prior to the game," head coach Kliff Kingsbury told the Arizona Republic. "It's challenging anytime you make a staff change in that type of manner."
On Monday night, before the Kugler incident made national headlines, the 49ers crushed the Cardinals, 38-10, while playing at Mexico City's Estadia Azteca.
Kugler had been part of Kingsbury's coaching staff since the 2019 season. Before coming to the Cardinals, the University of Texas-El Paso alum had coaching stints in the NFL (Broncos, Bills, Lions, Steelers), high school and college levels.
Kugler served as head coach at his alma mater for five seasons (2013-17), posting an overall record of 18-36.
For the 2022 calendar year, Kugler, 56, represents the second Cardinals assistant coach to be accused of assaulting a woman.
In May, former running back coach James Saxon turned himself in to Indiana police after allegedly assaulting a woman in her Indianapolis home.
Five months later, Saxon received a suspended sentence of one year of jail, along with one year of probation.
Saxon had been placed on administrative leave in August — after the May charges formally led to an arrest.
And in October, Saxon resigned from the Cardinals franchise.
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