The Arizona Cardinals are fining head coach Jonathan Gannon $100,000 for his sideline altercation with running back Emari Demercado during Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Gannon confronted Demercardo after the rusher dropped the ball before crossing the end zone on what would’ve been a 72-yard touchdown, instead giving the Titans possession on a touchback.
The head coach appears to strike Demercado in the chest at the end of the heated exchange.
The NFL won’t take action against Gannon, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. This is the first time a head coach has been fined for an altercation with a player since the league penalized former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians $50,000 for swiping his hand at Andrew Adams’ helmet in a playoff game during the 2021 season.
“I woke up this morning and didn’t feel great about it, honestly,” Gannon told reporters Monday about the altercation. “So in the team meeting, I addressed it, I apologized to Emari, apologized to the team. I just told them I let the moment of what happened get the better of me.”
Gannon added: “I try to be emotionally stable and calm because my job to solve problems during the game. It’s not really who I am, who I want to be, and I told the guys that today. So it’s a mistake by me.”
The Cardinals held a 21-6 lead over the Titans heading into the fourth quarter before losing 22-21. Arizona fell to 2-3 with the defeat and will face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Gannon, 42, is in his third season as the Cardinals’ head coach, boasting a 14-25 record with zero playoff victories.
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