I'm not gonna say he wasn't pushed out, but outside of SR, I've seen zero reports of this. So without some sort of multiple verified sourcing, I'm considering that a rumor.
And he's a fine poster and probably credible, that's just still a story to me.
Why wasn't he ever pushed out when he had those 7-9 seasons? He wouldn't have been wrong had he done so, but no, it didn't happen until 2 years ago when Payton decided to "retire".