Out With Coach Rick and in With Coach Nick on 'The Goldbergs'
Updated March 31 2021, 1:40 p.m. ET
Coach Mellor used to be a major player in the lives of the Goldberg family, but Bryan Callen, who played the coach, recently left The Goldbergs. Around the time of his departure from the show, four women came forward accusing him of sexual assault and harassment, so The Goldbergs fans are wondering who plays the coach now, if anyone?
The accusations are not to be taken lightly, and clearly the network listened, though they’re claiming that’s not why Callen left The Goldbergs. Regardless, it looks like the coach figure on The Goldbergs has actually now been occupied by Coach Mellor’s brother, Nick Mellor, coincidentally played by wrestler Bill Goldberg.
Bryan Callen no longer plays the coach on ‘The Goldbergs.’
Many people think Bryan Callen, who played Coach Rick Mellor, was forced to resign from The Goldbergs due to his recent sexual assault allegations. However, a Variety report claims that sources close to The Goldbergs said that, “Callen will not appear in the show’s upcoming eighth season, but his absence is for plot reasons rather than as a response to these allegations.”
Rick Mellor did leave The Goldbergs at the end of the sixth season to train wrestlers and introduced his brother, Coach Nick Mellor, who would be replacing him. He appeared again only once in Season 7, but he had a larger role in The Goldbergs' now canceled spinoff, Schooled.
Although sources say the decision is plot-based, the timing can’t go unnoticed. The LA Times reported the severity of the accusations, and although Callen fully denies them, the story of the first woman who came forward, actress Kathryn Fiore Tigerman, is corroborated by multiple people. On top of that, multiple accusations, along with Callen’s own self-professed “creepy” persona, can lead us all to believe this had something to do with why he’s no longer Coach Rick Mellor.
The coach role on ‘The Goldbergs’ has been filled by Bill Goldberg.
After the sixth season of The Goldbergs, Nick Mellor has become the new coach at William Penn. However, his role appears to be somewhat smaller than Coach Rick's, at least for now.
Bill is most known as a WWE champion. He began fighting in the WWE over 20 years ago, and has since become a star, especially due to an undefeated streak he had in 1997 to 1998. Bill was also a professional football player for several teams, but his football career was cut short by an injury, so naturally the next place to go would be wrestling.
Funnily enough, Bill is not related to the actual Goldberg family that The Goldbergs is based on, according to his Fandom Wiki. However, he is proud of his Jewish heritage, and even once refused to wrestle on Yom Kippur, one of the Jewish high holidays.
Watch The Goldbergs every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
If you need support, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit RAINN.org to chat online one-on-one with a support specialist at any time.
