HOUSTON - Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien is denying that he and general manager Rick Smith had a confrontation on Saturday about whether to cut Ryan Mallett.
His comments come after a report said Smith overruled O'Brien, who wanted to cut Mallett on Saturday after the quarterback missed the team's charter flight to Miami. That move would have left the Texans without a backup quarterback for Sunday's game. The Texans released Mallett on Tuesday.
O'Brien opened his news conference Wednesday by saying: "Rick Smith and I both have respect for each other. We work together every day. We communicate every day. It's a partnership. Decisions are made by two of us."
Asked if there was a confrontation Saturday, O'Brien said no.
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