Following an 11-day internal review, Erie Otters general manager Dave Brown said that he informed Stan Butler this morning at 11 a.m. that he was being relieved as head coach.

"We wanted to make sure we did the right thing, and we were fair to all parties involved," said Brown of the decision to fire Butler.

Brown said that the organization would not disclose what launched the internal review. Brown was also asked whether an exchange between a player and Butler led to the review.

"We have no comment on that. It's not something that we are going to discuss at this time," Brown said. The Otters' GM also did not disclose whether players input factored into the decision. 

On January 16 the team announced Butler would not be joining the team for its weekend road trip, citing an ongoing review of team policy.

Brown said they have not begun a search for a head coach. Brown said he has been with the team since the review was initiated and will continue to be on the bench alongside assistants Wes Wolfe and Ken Peroff who have been serving as co-coaches over the past two weekends. He said that could change if they move to hire a head coach. Brown said they are discussing the process of how roles will be distributed as they move forward.

"Our main goal is to make sure we are ready and prepared to go for Wednesday in Owen Sound. We have another three games in four nights road trip. The idea is going to be making sure our guys are ready for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday," Brown said.

Following the review, Brown said they will take time to process the last few weeks and make sure as a team they are in a better place. 

"I think what we do is we sit back, and we talk about the things Jim Waters would have wanted and what his simple rules were, and I think that's probably going to be enough," said Brown on whether new guidelines would be added following this review.  "When we reflect back on things, we're always open to looking at new ideas and ways in which we can all be better." 

Fans have voiced their frustrations throughout this process. Brown acknowledged he was aware of that and wants to do what is right for the team and Erie moving forward.

"Difficult. I think first and foremost we want to make sure we do the right thing for Erie. Doing the right things is not always easy," said Brown. "Obviously, Stan and I are very close friends, and this was not an easy decision for anyone, but we are moving forward and moving on."

"Not sure that what we did today has any really true effect on our fan base," said Brown of the lack of details before today's decision. "We did things for the right reasons."