Arizona and Arizona State are the fiercest of rivals, but Jedd Fisch did not enjoy seeing ASU head coach Herm Edwards lose his job.

The Sun Devils announced on Sunday they’d be parting ways with their head coach. Athletic director Ray Anderson made a point to say it was not a firing, rather a relinquishing of duties. But Edwards entered the season on the hot seat and an ouster always seemed like a likely endgame. Arizona State lost to Eastern Michigan at home on Saturday night — a 31-20 result that was the first MAC win over a Pac-12 team.

On Monday, Fisch was asked about his in-state counterpart and offered sympathy.

“When I saw the news… coaches don’t ever like to hear the F-word,” he said. “It’s not fun for anybody for guys to lose their jobs. There’s families involved, there’s other staff involved. There’s other many things involved when it comes to that type of stuff. So it’s never really a good day in the coaching profession when that occurs.”

Edwards’ departure likely won’t be the only coaching exit from Tempe this year. Depending on who the Sun Devils hire as Edwards’ replacement, they could choose to clean house and bring an entirely new staff in. For several on ASU’s staff, that would mean two moves in a year’s time.

Arizona and Arizona State meet later this season, and Fisch will look to snap a five-game losing streak to the Sun Devils. The Wildcats (2-1) are off to an encouraging start. Given how quickly things improved from last year’s 1-11 team, Fisch won’t have to worry about the F-word in the near future.