Nebraska players learned of Bo Pelini's firing via email from AD

Not long before the news of Nebraska firing head coach Bo Pelini was announced, school athletic director Shawn Eichorst sent each player on the football team an email with the news.

Nebraska’s season ended on Friday with a comeback win at Iowa. After the game, players were given the rest of the weekend off before classes resumed from Thanksgiving break on Monday.

With many players away from campus, Eichorst was unable to gather the team in full, so he sent the email before they found out via social media.

That’s certainly a tough way to receive the news, especially with a greeting as generic as “Dear Football Student-Athlete.” Still, with so many players away from Lincoln, I’m not sure what Eichorst could have done differently.

In his press conference announcing the news, he said he would meet with the players on Sunday night – many of whom voiced their displeasure with Pelini’s firing and the way Eichorst approached the situation on Twitter.

Offensive lineman Matthew Finnin:

Offensive lineman Sam Hahn:

Cornerback Josh Mitchell:

Graduate assistant Joe Ganz:

With the win over Iowa, Nebraska finished Pelini’s seventh season at the helm with a 9-3 record. Now, in Pelini’s absence, associate head coach Barney Cotton will serve as the team’s interim coach for the team’s upcoming bowl game.

For more Nebraska news, visit HuskerOnline.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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