HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- The Texans have fired vice president of communications Amy Palcic.
J.J. Watt advocated for Palcic during his media availability Wednesday, then later on Twitter, crediting her for helping with his hurricane relief efforts three years ago after Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeast Texas.
"I think you can tell from the universal response from prominent people in the business, what type of person Amy is and how well respected and well liked she is, both inside our building and outside the building," Watt said during a virtual press conference Wednesday. "Extremely professional. Just really good at her job. Cared a lot. Just wants what’s best for the team and what’s best for the organization. Always trying to do what’s best, and was a massive helping hand with me during the hurricane, during my entire time here. So, I think it’s a very difficult loss. She’s an incredible person and I think she’s going to have another job in an absolute heartbeat. I think it’s a big loss for us.”
Palcic led the Texans’ media relations department since 2016, when she replaced Kevin Cooper. She was the only woman leading an NFL team’s media relations department.
The following year, the Texans’ media relations team led by Palcic shared the 2017 Pete Rozelle award, along with the Baltimore Ravens. The award is given by the Pro Football Writers of America to the NFL's most outstanding media relations.
It is not clear what led to Palcic’s firing. Texans insider John McClain reports the decision was made by team president Jamey Rootes.
Prior to working for the Texans since 2013, Palcic worked for the Cleveland Browns. She is widely respected by NFL media, as shown on social media when the news was broken by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and later reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.