Don't see how the issue here is Cousins getting along with teammates.
If you're working in an office, ask for a private meeting with your boss, and he comes out and throws you under the bus in front of everyone, how is it your responsibility to fix things with your colleagues? Don't see how it's even related. In most offices, your colleagues would side with you, and start hoping for a new boss, especially if they've also started voicing the same complaints that same week. This isn't Cousins doing something to his teammates, and everyone not agreeing with coaches reaction.
If you're working in an office, ask for a private meeting with your boss, and he comes out and throws you under the bus in front of everyone, how is it your responsibility to fix things with your colleagues? Don't see how it's even related. In most offices, your colleagues would side with you, and start hoping for a new boss, especially if they've also started voicing the same complaints that same week. This isn't Cousins doing something to his teammates, and everyone not agreeing with coaches reaction.
These are very good points right here, but I think that Westphal had some basic intentions in doing what he did. He's trying to tell Cousins to basically grow up and quite being a douche. It's just too bad it's coming from a person who is on the verge of losing his entire team after having nearly done the same the year before.
I don't know if this was handled properly at all, and probably not, but I think there was a point here and it just wasn't to throw dirt on Cousins and the franchise.