Antonio Pierce named interim head coach of Las Vegas Raiders

Former Arizona Wildcats linebacker and Arizona State coach Antonio Pierce has been named the interim head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Shortly after it was announced that head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler were let go by Las Vegas, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Raiders were planning to name linebackers coach and former Arizona standout Antonio Pierce as their interim coach.

The Raiders are 3-5 on the season and, most recently, lost on Monday Night Football to the Detroit Lions, 26-14.

The 45-year-old Pierce is in his second season as a linebackers coach with Las Vegas.

Pierce played nine years in the NFL — five years with Washington and four with the New York Giants. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2006 and won a Super Bowl in 2007.

Antonio Pierce’s troubles at Arizona State

Pierce’s Phoenix notoriety came under the tenure of former Arizona State Sun Devils head football coach Herm Edwards. While working for the program, he rose from linebackers coach to co-defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and associate head coach at ASU.

What would eventually come were a number of recruiting violations linked to Pierce before his resignation prior to the 2022 season.

Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel reported in detail that Pierce allegedly led the charge in pushing the boundaries of allowing recruits to visit the university’s campus during the COVID-19 dead period and pushed for other coaches to do the same.

That also included an allegation of then-starting-quarterback Jayden Daniels’ mom, Regina Jackson, reportedly helping to arrange and pay for recruits and their airfare.

He would eventually resign before the 2022 season.