Most coaching friendships are built over late-night film sessions, on a practice field, or in a meeting room. Interestingly, one of the NFL’s longest professional friendships of two decades, between Kyle Shanahan and Raheem Morris, was cemented with handcuffs and a night in the Indianapolis police station.

In 2005, Morris was an assistant defensive backs coach, and Shanahan was working as an offensive quality control coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As is always the case with young assistants, the two were asked to fly to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. After a long day of informal interviews, the two joined other assistants, looking to unwind. What they couldn’t have imagined was that their night would end behind bars.

“A little after 2:00 am, as Morris and his friends were attempting to enter the ‘Have a Nice Day Cafe,’ he was abruptly tackled by a group of police officers, who handcuffed him after applying a chokehold while pinning down his face on the cement,” Silver wrote in Why Is Everything. “Shanahan, perceiving the incident as racially motivated, lost his mind.

“So, he’s asking for badge numbers. Cops didn’t take it well. Literally two minutes later, Morris recalled, he [Shanahan] was lying down right next to me. We didn’t know what was going on; they put us both in the wagon and took us in.”

The two were taken to the Arrestee Processing Center. While Morris was incorrectly arrested due to mistaken identity, Shanahan was charged with misdemeanor intoxication. After a court appearance, the two were released.

Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, a longtime friend and confidant of Shanahan, later explained that part of the reaction stemmed from shock. Shanahan had never personally witnessed something like that before, which caused that reaction.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department later stated that Shanahan had been “loud, belligerent, and causing a scene” after being escorted out of the restaurant at 2:07 a.m. Officer Eric B. Simmons detailed the justification for the arrest.

“I could smell a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his person, his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and he was unsteady on level ground,” Simmons said.

Simmons added that he instructed Shanahan multiple times to quiet down and only proceeded with the arrest after Shanahan failed to comply.

What’s interesting is, though, that while Morris had to pay for it, things were worse for Shanahan. And the reason was simple.

Shanahan wasn’t just another young assistant. He was the son of Mike Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl-winning coach then with the Denver Broncos. Morris endured the incident, but Shanahan ended up enduring the spotlight. Several prominent media members portrayed him as a poster child for what was wrong in the profession.

SportsCenter even pulled Shanahan’s picture from his college days, when he was plastered during a party in Texas. While Shanahan was fine appearing in press conferences to give his side of the story, he had just one simple reaction to SportsCenter’s action: “It wasn’t even from that night!”

Shanahan went through it all. However, it proved one thing for Morris.

Kyle Shanahan was in a ride-or-die mode for Raheem Morris

It’s easy to understand why Shanhan and Morris got closer. When the two first tried the NFL waters, they worked under Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay. Both were young, new to the bigger league, and had immense passion for the sport. But what really worked in their favor was a nearly 30-year-old, run-down, rodent-filled, decrepit facility that Gruden semi-affectionately dubbed “The Woodshed.”

Every day, the two would sit through the meetings, design plays that the team would use in their next game, and help Gruden in any way possible. But what really stuck them together was Mike Shanahan’s advice to his son: If you want to learn the offense, understand the defense.

And so, Kyle stopped listening to Lil Wayne and instead secretly heard the defense’s meetings through a cracked door. Gradually, everyone noticed what he did and welcomed him to those meetings. Meetings, where Morris was also present. On the field, all the assistants would challenge each other while also learning more concepts of both sides of the ball.

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While all that built the foundation for Shanahan and Morris’ friendship, the arrest in Indy was what cemented it. If the former Atlanta head coach ever needed confirmation that Kyle Shanahan would have his back, he received it right there.

After years, Morris would also receive an apology letter from the police department, explaining their side of the story. But if that was the media’s attempt to ruin his career, they failed.

Today, when people think of Kyle Shanahan and Raheem Morris, they think about what they’ve achieved throughout their long careers, not a night in Indianapolis. But that night mattered. It forged a connection that never really faded.

22 years of Shanahan and Morris’ friendship and intertwined careers

Raheem Morris and Kyle Shanahan share one of the league’s longest-running professional friendships, a relationship that has stretched across more than two decades of coaching stops, promotions, firings, and second chances.

At the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Shanahan and Morris worked on Jon Gruden’s staff. But their careers soon diverged in 2006. Morris left for the college ranks, heading to Kansas to serve as defensive coordinator. Kyle Shanahan went in the opposite direction, joining the Houston Texans after being hired by Gary Kubiak as wide receivers coach.

A year later, Morris returned to Tampa Bay as a defensive backs coach, while Shanahan was promoted to quarterbacks coach in Houston. They were on different paths, but both were on the same upward momentum. Things accelerated quickly for both.

Within two years, Gruden promoted Morris to defensive coordinator. One month later, Gruden was fired, and Morris was suddenly the head coach of the Buccaneers. At roughly the same time, Shanahan was making his own leap, becoming the youngest offensive coordinator in the NFL with the Texans. Neither run lasted as long as hoped.

Morris couldn’t get Tampa Bay to the postseason and was dismissed before the 2012 season. Almost improbably, their paths crossed again soon after in Washington. From 2012 to 2013, Shanahan served as offensive coordinator while Morris coached defensive backs. But again, it didn’t last.

Shanahan moved on, this time to Cleveland, to take another offensive coordinator job. Then came Atlanta, where their careers finally aligned in a more meaningful way. Kyle Shanahan took over as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, and Morris joined him as assistant head coach, defensive backs coach, and defensive pass game coordinator.

During that stint, Shanahan’s trust in Morris was unmistakable.

He regularly spoke about Morris’ versatility, pointing out how uncommon it was for a lifelong defensive coach to meaningfully contribute on the offensive side. He praised his work ethic, his football intelligence, and his ability to see the game from every angle.

Eventually, Shanahan left Atlanta to become head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Morris stayed behind, remaining with the Falcons through 2020, serving as defensive coordinator and later taking over as head coach during his final season there. Shanahan has said that he “always tried to get him [to San Francisco] every single year.”

“Raheem’s one of the best coaches I’ve been with,” Shanahan said when the Falcons gave Morris a second chance as their head coach before the 2024 season.

They haven’t shared a sideline in a while. Shanahan has remained in San Francisco, while Morris has taken on a series of roles—Rams defensive coordinator, interim head coach, and eventually full-time head coach in Atlanta. That run ended after back-to-back 8–9 seasons and another dismissal this year.

With Raheem Morris on the market again, it wouldn’t be surprising if their paths cross again. In fact, Shanahan is already targeting his old friend for his team. Nearly two decades after that night in Indianapolis, their bond remains one of the league’s most enduring.