Washington Post: "Marty Schottenheimer, NFL coach whose teams wilted in the postseason, dies at 77"

They have since edited the headline. But the URL still had the headline in it. They have since changed that too. So far they have not returned any requests for a comment.

 

Obits are not handled by Sports. It's a separate department.

 

Does the Post use a universal desk where copy editors assign heds to any and all categories? The obit writer may add a suggested hed, but I doubt they would have the capacity for that amount of snark.

 

We handle sports obits unless they're going on A1.

 

This seems too crazy to be true. Outrageous.

How about Marty Schottenheimer, 615 winning percentage, took 3 franchises from last to first, 200-plus wins, passes away.

 

Did Marty get a Post obit (handled by a separate department!) because of his one year in Washington?

 

As someone else pointed out, and those of us here who wrote headlines for a living, you have to go out of your way to write a terrible headline like that. That wasn't a mistake or poor judgment.

So when Bud Grant dies, it'll be Bud Grant, whose teams were outscored 95-32 in 4 Super Bowl losses, dies?

 

Yeah, nothing like one of the largest papers in the country hitting a dead man's family below the belt. Nobody needs to be fired over it. But there should be a teachable moment involved for everyone who handles obits there, from the print to the online folks. You just can't be that callous.

Can you imagine what that person would have done to Billy Buck?