Nope. Pre 1998 Fulmer rocked, and those years are why I will always consider him a VFL. Post 1998 he acted like an entitled icon. I still remember the disdain he would show for fan concern. He was finally making good money the last few years (1.5 a year which was big in the pre Saban era) and I developed a strong sense that he was going to sit at that teat as long as he could. He would have NEVER voluntarily stepped aside from that cash stream. I hated the way he was fired but I don’t see any other way that could have gone.
And let’s not overlook the fact that he did not bounce to a new program. Consider that. He was done.
He built the program up, no doubt, and deserves huge props. But towards the end, he was collecting a paycheck, clapping his hands, grimacing a lot, and little else.