sentences:  He ignited controversy in 1997 when, after a loss to Texas Tech, he stated in a post-game press conference that he had told his players that "they were about as bad a football team as there is right now in America", drawing the ire of the Baylor faithful.Following the 1998 season, in which the Bears went 2–9 for a second consecutive season, he was fired by athletic director Tom Stanton.Roberts had previously served as the offensive coordinator under Lou Holtz at the University of Notre Dame.