General manager Randy Schillinger said he needs to re-brand the Tri-Cities Fever for next season.
Those plans include finding a new coach.
The Fever fired Cedric Walker on Thursday, just five days after the team ended its worst season in the organization's four-year history.
"The decision was business," Schillinger said. "Our goal in 2009 is to field a better, more competitive team and he didn't fit into our plans.
"I like Cedric and I want to leave this on good terms."
In his first season with the Fever, Walker guided the team to a 4-12 mark and a last-place finish in the af2's West Division. Tri-Cities ended the season on a seven-game losing streak and watched its numbers at the turnstiles steadily decline as the season went on.
"I'm not going to say the record was great because it wasn't," Walker said. "But I did figure I would get another year to get things turned around."
Schillinger said he would like to have a replacement hired by the end of August, but at this point does not have a list of candidates. The new coach would be the fifth in the five-year history of the franchise.
"I understand the business," said Fever defensive end Johnny Jackson. "Coach Walker is a good guy and he wants to make you be a better man. It's tough."
When Walker was hired by the Fever last November, he never discussed wins and losses.
His job was to clean up the mess from the 2007 team -- that included the arrest of former coach Tony Wells -- by bringing in a new core of players that would be well-respected by the fans and the community.
Hours after Walker, 37, was fired by the Fever, he said he was proud of the job that he had done in his nine months in the Tri-Cities.
But ultimately, it came down to wins and losses, and there weren't enough wins.
Schillinger said he informed Walker of the organization's decision Wednesday and Walker asked him to reconsider. On Thursday, Schillinger stuck with his decision.
"The bottom line was, 'Do I firmly believe that he could turn this thing around?' " Schillinger said. "I don't."
Tri-Cities, which made the playoffs in its inaugural season in the af2 last year, got off to a slow start this season, losing its first four games.
With the addition of quarterback Josh Kellett, the team turned things around, winning four of its next five games, but when Kellett got hurt, things began to deteriorate.
After a 62-61 loss to Central Valley on the last play of the game June 7 that put the Fever at 4-6, the team struggled to be competitive in its next five games, losing by an average of 21 points.
"We take a lot of blame for that (as players)," said Jackson, who also played for Walker at Everett in 2007. "All he can do is coach. We have to go out and play."
Walker, who played 10 seasons in the Arena Football League, said he's ready to move on.
"I don't fault them for the decision," Walker said. "Everything happens for a reason."
In two seasons as an af2 coach, Walker is 10-22, including a 6-10 stint last season in Everett.
"He was like a father-figure," said Fever receiver J.R. Thomas. "He's a great guy and if we were 8-8 or even better than what we were, they probably wouldn't have made this decision."