Mercury Rx & Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley
Adam Schefter quote on X
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Mercury Retrograde (or any Retrograde) gives us the opportunity for a do-over. And that do-over is a “done better”. For NFL team the Los Angeles Chargers and their former Head Coach, Brandon Staley, just such an opportunity was given in 2023. Read on…
So let me start by saying this post is not a Birth Chart interpretation of Brandon Staley as his time of birth is unknown. So no ascendant or angles or houses are going to be used. All charts are run at 0 degrees Aries. However, there are a few planetary positions of his natal chart that time of birth does not affect which I’ll mention later on. The focus will be on two NFL games in particular that occurred on Jan 14, 2023 and Dec 14 2023 when Mercury Retrograde was at 8 degrees in Capricorn in both instances.
From his Wikipedia page:
“Brandon John Staley (born December 10, 1982) is an American football coach. He most recently served as the head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) from 2021 to 2023. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 and also served as an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears.”
So, even with an unknown birth time, Staley would still have 26 degree Neptune conjunct his 18 degree Sun in Sagittarius, Pluto at 28 degrees Libra square to Mars in Aquarius, and a south node at 4 degrees (True Node) in Capricorn as those planets move slowly through the zodiac.
Mercury was moving from the last degree of Sagittarius to the first of Capricorn on the day he was born and since we don’t have a time of birth to confirm which, it’s not included in this article as a key factor.
As I was researching his chart and the charts of some key events that have occurred in his tenure with the LA Chargers Football team, watching the actual games myself, and seeing his demeanor and conduct during press interviews and post game interviews, I couldn’t help but pick up on a loud hint of hubris.
“Hubris, Atis, Nemesis, Tisis”. (Very loosely translated to the ancient Greek philosophy of excessive self-pride offending the Gods, and the subsequent sending of punishment and downfall). Staley has asteroid 430 Hybris (hubris) at 27 degrees Capricorn (not shown on the above chart as AstroGold doesn’t support the glyph), and asteroid 128 Nemesis at 12 degrees Leo. Interestingly, both asteroids featured prominently in each of the key events I researched.
Now, with all that Sagittarius in his chart, it’s not a wonder he is described as “enthusiastic”, and “inspirational” and many who know him describe him as a “nice guy” (although the jury’s out on whether “nice” is really a compliment overall). And Pluto square Mars will bring a tenacity for achieving aspirations (although at what cost is always the question). But is all that “nice-ness” and “aspiration” enough for a very green Head Coach in the NFL?
Back to the charts and transits.
The announcement of Staley as the new Head Coach of the LA Chargers was made on January 17, 2017 at 7:43pm PST as per the Chargers website.
There’s some very interesting pieces to this transit.
Transit Neptune in Pisces is almost exactly square to his natal Sun in Sagittarius
Transit South Node in Sagittarius is conjunct his natal Sun by one degree
Transit Saturn in Aquarius is conjunct his natal Mars in Aquarius
His Pluto square Pluto natal transit is beginning (and activating Hybris)
Transit Mercury in Aquarius is opposite his natal asteroid Nemesis.
Overall when I look at these charts together, the themes that stand out are ones of major ego issues (all planets and points above), power struggles (Mars, Pluto and Nemesis), and not being assessed clearly or him seeing clearly (Neptune).
Staley was hired as a Head Coach (the King of the Team, for those who aren’t familiar with the NFL) with barely 3 years experience in the NFL overall and a couple of lucky seasons with already talented teams. In other words, it could be said his “elevation” was that of circumstance and not his actual wisdom or proven merit. Hello Neptune Sun and illusions. Oh, and remember what I said earlier about Hubris?…
Staley’s opening games as Head Coach did not go particularly well. He had a penchant for making extremely questionable play calls that lost his team the game time and time again. In severe instances led to the season ending injuries of more than one key player. Did he take responsibility for his choices? Nope. Did he learn from his mistakes? Again, nope. Did he show any humility and get mentorship or help from more seasoned coaches? You guessed it. Also no.
Then came a playoff loss so egregious, he was sure to be fired.
On January 14, 2023 under Staley’s direction the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead and ended up losing the playoff game (and ending their season) 30-31 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in large part due to Staley’s poor play call decisions and overconfidence in his play call abilities.
Another contributing factor was his poor defensive plays and game plans. Staley was hired based on his “genius” Defensive strategies, and yet his team under his guidance was consistently one of the worst in the league on Defense (Neptune, Hybris) and yet he maintained that he was Defensively gifted (Neptune Sun).
In the chart above, Mercury is at 8 degrees Capricorn in retrograde, conjunct Staley’s natal South Node (and possibly his own natal Mercury). Transit Pluto in Capricorn is exactly square his own natal Pluto, conjunct Hybris, and all of this is being disposited by Saturn.
Pluto transits are notorious for falls from grace for those who misuse or misunderstand power, and Pluto is transiting his 27 degree asteroid Hybris, conjunct by one degree…what could go wrong?
There are a few other transits occurring here, notable Staley is also entering his Neptune square at this time (common for those born with Pluto in late Libra and Neptune in late Sagittarius). Neptune is the planet responsible for dissolving ego, and Staley has his Neptune conjunct none other than his Sun.
Transit Jupiter, Nemesis and Chiron are all in Aries at this point, also disposited by Saturn (via Mars in Gemini —> Mercury in Capricorn —> Saturn in Aquarius).
The general consensus after this jaw dropping blowout, foolish loss was Staley should be fired. He was clearly not the right fit for the team, and showed no sense of self-awareness for his flaws or poor choices. Even worse, he threw his own players under the bus. As a leader, you are responsible for the outcome of your team. It’s your job to help them, mentor them, and do everything in your power to improve yourself and your team. (That’s a wise Leo. Remember his asteroid Nemesis is in Leo, which would also give a link to his Sun Neptune?)
Shockingly, Staley was not fired.
He remained Head Coach of the Chargers and went on to continue his abysmal, self-deluded “leadership” strategy to the detriment of his team.
Saturn is still presiding over many of his major transits throughout 2023. Saturn suffers no fools. Saturn also rewards those who take self responsibility and put in hard work to elevate their flaws. Would Staley take the opportunity for personal humility, accountability and course correction for his massive ego need to be in control?
And here we come to it.
The game of reckoning. December 14, 2023 Chargers v. Raiders.
Transit Mercury has returned to 8 degrees Capricorn in retrograde (the same position as the blowout loss to the Jaguars on January 14, 2023). Pluto has also returned to 28 degrees Capricorn direct. Interestingly the Sun and Moon have changed places: the Sun was at 24 Capricorn for the Jan 14th game, and the Moon is now at 21 Capricorn for the Dec 14th game.
A repeat of the past.
Would the outcome be any different? After all, Mercury in Retrograde brings back people, places, situations etc. from the past for a chance at a do-over and a “done better”.
A few minutes into the game, the Raiders were up 21-0. At Halftime, the score went up to 42-0.
The Raiders went on to embarrass the Chargers with a 63-21 final score. The Raiders allowed a couple of “garbage” touchdowns late in the final minutes of the game after interim Head Coach for the Raiders, Antonio Pierce, was criticized for letting his team run up such a high score. (It’s seen as unsportsmanlike in the NFL to run up embarrassingly high scores to a defeated opponent).
After the game, Staley gave an interview in which he was asked if he should keep his job. His response was, “Yes!” because he had done such a great job as their coach. (Pluto conjunct Hybris, and Neptune square Neptune + Sun perhaps?) For reference: his Head Coaching record with the Chargers in 2021 was 9W-8L, no playoffs; 2022 10W-7L, eliminated in Jan 14, 2023 wild card game; 2023 5W-9L.
His Defensive Statistics are even worse, and he is touted as a “defensive guru”, the title of which he seems to wear as proudly as the “Emperor and his new clothes”.
Chargers Defensive Statistics under Staley:
The defense never ranked higher than 20th in yards allowed per game and 27th in points allowed per game in his three years. The Chargers ranked 31st in points per game allowed (24.8) and 29th in yards allowed per game (359.6) in Staley's three seasons [out of 32 teams].
(source: CBS Sports)
“Hubris, Atis, Nemesis, Tisis”.
Fortunately, Mercury, the messenger of the Gods, under the dispositorship of Saturn, delivered the message. Chargers owners decided that they would take the “do over” and make it a done better. Brandon Staley was finally fired from his position as Head Coach of the Chargers after the loss to the Raiders Dec 14, 2023.
A correction was made the second time around. Staley learned nothing from his initial Mercury Rx transit. He did not take responsibility, accountability, or check his ego. He let no mentors help guide him, he maintained he was above it all. He wanted all the spotlight, all the glory, all the control. He kept himself in a cloud of self-deluded hubris. And it was his downfall.
But hey, don’t take my word for it.
Here’s some articles to back up my claims:
LA Times: Brandon Staley Chargers Controversial Decisions
Bolt Beat: “Chargers once again prove they are a poorly-coached team in loss to Titans”
Pro Sports Fans: “Brandon Staley is not a good coach”
Sports Illustrated: Chargers News: “Sometimes having too much confidence can lead to disarray”
LAFB: “NFL insiders reveal bad reputation of former Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley”
Michael Lombardi on GM Shuffle: “People in the coaching community think Brandon Staley is arrogant”
New York Times: “Staley’s ‘full confidence’ in himself as Chargers coach was misplaced”
Chargers Wire: “The infamous moments that led to Brandon Staley's departure”
And in Staley’s own words after his blowout losses referenced in this article:
Or just do an internet search. There’s plenty, and I mean plenty, to choose from.
If you want to cast your chart, here are some sites that offer free chart generation (I’m not an affiliate, I just find these useful):
If you cast your chart and it’s like, “OMG, Help!!! I don’t get any of these weird symbols or lines!” book a reading with me, and we’ll help you find your own personal blueprint full of your superpowers.
