ALBANY — Albany Empire coach Tom Menas, who won two championships in a row with the team but was let go just days before the start of the 2023 season, is back at the helm.
His return comes during a tumultuous week for the Empire as eight top players and coach Damon Ware, who took over from Menas after spending the previous two seasons as offensive coordinator, were suspended after a postgame incident on the team bus and issues over pay.
“I haven’t slept in the last week. Literally have not slept in the last week, 10 days,” Menas said. “It’s heartbreaking. There’s always two sides to every story, and I’ve maintained my neutrality in this. Obviously my love for my players is there, that’ll never go away, but also my love for this team, and the brand and the city has never gone away either.”
WNYT’s Rodger Wyland was first with the news.
Menas’ reason for coming back was to keep the Empire’s season alive.
“What’s the point of being a two-time champion if your team fails?” Menas said. “I have an obligation to the people of Albany. I’d be a pretty big (liar) if I didn’t live up to what I said when I left, and that’s thank you for loving me, thank you for welcoming me, and I owed them. So this is my way of paying them back.”
Ware will resume his role as offensive coordinator, which Menas said was a condition of his return to the team.
Antonio Brown, the team’s owner, took Menas off guard when Brown reached out to him Tuesday afternoon, but they were able to come to an understanding.
“Like I said when I left Albany, I had no animosities at that time at all with the Browns (Antonio and father Eddie). They treated me very well while I was there,” Menas said. “He’s a grown man, I’m a grown man. We have to agree to respect each other. I will give him a great amount of…
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