Jamie Shaul has apologised to Lee Radford following the coach’s departure from Hull FC and the fullback says the players must take responsibility for Radford’s seven-year reign coming to an end.
Radford parted company with Hull in the wake of their heavy defeat to Warrington on Thursday night.
And Shaul, who has spent his entire professional career working under Radford, admitted it was a difficult night for him.
“I said sorry to him when we spoke afterwards,” he said.
“I only live 100 yards down the road from him so I’ll be meeting up with him.”
Shaul insisted that the players must take the brunt of the responsibility for Radford’s demise, too.
He said: “I’m absolutely gutted. It’s really sad. I’ve had him as my coach for my full professional career and he’s the one that got me here in the first place. It’s very sad, and it’s still sinking in.
“We have to take responsibility, 100 per cent. You feel responsible for him losing his job and it’s very tough to take.”
Shaul, however, also stressed that Hull cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves if the season continues this week, when the Black and Whites face a trip to Huddersfield.
“We didn’t see what happened on the field. He came in the changing rooms and I thought he was going to do his post-match talk, and he just said he was done.
“We’ve got to let it sink in, and it will take a while for it to do so. We’ve got to get straight back on the horse because we’ve got a game next week. As tough as it is, we’ve got to get on with it.”
Meanwhile Hull owner Adam Pearson revealed that he had already told Radford that he would be leaving the club before he broke the news on Sky Sports after Thursday’s drubbing by Warrington, which immediately generated criticism of from Rugby League supporters on social media.
“I went to see Lee straight after the end of the game and we had ten or 15 minutes talking,” said Pearson.
“I don’t think he was surprised (by the decision). I told him ‘I think that’s it.’
“And he said ‘yes, I agree.’ He always said to me he’d know when it was time to go.
“He had a really good innings and we should always remember what he has done for this club; his legacy is winning at Wembley and winning back-to-back Challenge Cups, which no one has ever done with Hull.
“But aspects of that performance were unacceptable and he knows that.
“Sky needed an interview so I said I’d handle Sky for him and he said ‘great’. That’s when I went out to do it. That is as clear as day.”
By Aaron Bower and David Rogers
