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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

All in the family: Joe Vitt hired as Dolphins consultant

In this Aug. 15, 2014 file photo, New Orleans Saints assistant coach Joe Vitt talks to middle linebacker Curtis Lofton (50) in the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Tennessee Titans in New Orleans. (Bill Haber / Associated Press)
Associated Press

DAVIE, Fla. – Former New Orleans Saints assistant coach Joe Vitt has been hired as a consultant to help his son-in-law, Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase.

Vitt, fired as the Saints assistant head coach and linebackers coach after last season, will focus on special projects with the Dolphins, the team said Friday. His daughter is married to Gase, who led the Dolphins to the playoffs last season in his first year as an NFL coach.

Vitt went 5-5 as the Saints’ interim head coach in 2012, when Sean Payton was suspended in connection with the NFL’s bounty probe. Vitt also suspended six games that season because of his role in the Saints’ off-the-books, cash-for-hits incentive program.

He spent 11 seasons with the Saints after joining coach Payton’s original staff in 2006.