‘Not meant to be’ — Maciocia declines dream job with Als

After a six-year hiatus, Danny Maciocia was ready for one more professional football challenge. And what better place for the StLéonard native to resurface than with the Alouettes?

But it seemed like this never was meant to be.

“The timing and the fit just wasn’t right. It’s not a good marriage, and it was starting to sound, more and more, like an (arranged) marriage. We all know how those turn out,” Maciocia told the Gazette on Sunday, choosing his words carefully.

Late Saturday morning Maciocia, the head coach at Université de Montréal, informed Andrew Wetenhall, the Als’ lead governor, a director and part of the family ownership group, he’d be returning to the Carabins, spurning a prestigious job — believed to be president of football operations — with the Canadian Football League team. Wetenhall agreed with Maciocia, the process had been exhausted.

Less than an hour later, Maciocia informed the Montreal Gazette of his decision by text and at 3:20 Saturday afternoon, the university issued a press release. Maciocia spent Sunday avoiding most media requests, but will speak formally about his decision Monday at 1 p.m.

Maciocia was one of three known candidates, along with Brock Sunderland and Joey Abrams, to have interviewed to become Als’ general manager, a position that has been vacant since the organization announced the firing of Jim Popp on Nov. 7.

The Als now are expected to name Kavis Reed, an assistant head coach and special teams co-ordinator, to that post, while retaining interim head coach Jacques Chapdelaine. It’s a structure many throughout the league believe is doomed to failure and, although Maciocia would have been deemed their superior, he probably was reluctant to accept a job where he inherited the staff. That’s not how it’s done in pro sports.

It’s also believed contract negotiations between Maciocia and Wetenhall quickly reached an impasse. Maciocia likely was seeking a long-term contract — at least five years — that would have made him a multimillionaire, but not unlike the annual salary Popp was receiving. Wetenhall, in turn, almost certainly countered with a shorter term with a lower base and tied to incentives.

“It could have been my dream job, but sometimes you have to be careful when you’re chasing the dream,” said Maciocia, 49. “You have to realize, sometimes, you’re not necessarily chasing a dream. You may be chasing some problems.

“It’s not meant to be this time around.”

There could well be a next time. Maciocia’s extremely popular in the city. He knows how to open doors at the political level and raise funds that fuel the Carabins’ program.

Maciocia is a former head coach and GM with the Edmonton Eskimos, who won the Grey Cup in 2005. He has coached the Carabins since 2011. The team has one Vanier Cup championship and reached the title game once.

While the Als still could forge ahead with Reed as GM, Maciocia’s exclusion almost certainly will prompt his close friend, defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe, into seeking alternative football opportunities.