By Perry Lefko

SPORTSNET.CA

A day after being fired as head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Charlie Taaffe is leaving with his head held high but with a disappointment in his heart after the biggest failure of his career.

"The Ticats have been great, it's not an ugly divorce," he told Sportsnet.ca in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, one day after the team fired him and replaced him withy offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille.

Taaffe, who accumulated only five wins in 28 games with the team, said he was not surprised by the decision, even though the both team president Scott Mitchell and general manager Bob O'Billovich told him they were philosophically against the idea of changing coaches in mid-season.

Taaffe said he met with O'Billovich on Sunday; a day after the Ticats lost 35-12 to the B.C. Lions, their second defeat in six days. The two regularly met after games to talk about the "good and the ugly" and following their discussion, in which O'Billovich expressed some concerns and said he wanted to think about the situation another day, Taaffe had an inkling he was going to be fired.

"He felt he had to make the change and I can't argue with that," Taaffe said. "When you win five out of 28 games, it's the reality. It's about winning. It's about the bottom line. I'm very disappointed we weren't able to turn this around."

Taaffe came to the Ticats with a proven record in the Canadian Football League. He was named head coach of the year in 1999 and 2000, the only coach in league history to be voted the award in back-to-back year, with Montreal.

But he just couldn't duplicate that success in Hamilton.

The Ticats finished last in the league last year with a 3-15 record, but hopes were high following a series of moves, including Taaffe hiring two offensive co-ordinators with proven CFL experience, and quarterback Casey Printers having a full off-season to prepare for the upcoming season after joining the Cats midway into 2007 following his release from the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Being 5-25 isn't acceptable. I have no issues with the decision," he added. "It's particularly disappointing because every place I've coached I've had a degree of success. It didn't happen here and that's the frustration and disappointment. It doesn't define me as a person. Sometimes you work hard and it doesn't work out. There's no animosity."

Taaffe said he felt for the organization because of all the changes it's gone through in recent years to turn around the team, which last won the Grey Cup in 1999 and last had a winning record in 2004, the first year under current owner Bob Young.

"There hasn't been much success (with the franchise)," Taaffe said. "There's been other coaches and GM and it hasn't happened (to work out). Just add me to the list."

Taaffe had an opportunity to join the University of West Virginia after last season, but was persuaded by team president Scott Mitchell and O'Billovich to stay.

"Scott made it very apparent, very adamant, that he didn't want me to leave and that he believed in me," Taaffe said.

As an aside, the two are scheduled to have dinner on Tuesday night.

Taaffe also dismissed any suggestions his heart wasn't in the job when he couldn't leave to go to West Virginia.

"I worked my ass off to make this happen," he said. "I'm not going to be bitter. It's a small league. I'm going to take the high road. Things happen. It's unfortunate. Nobody worked harder than myself and the coaching staff. I was totally loyal and it just didn't happen."