Additional Coverage:
- Cardinals fining coach Jonathan Gannon $100,000 for sideline incident with Emari Demercado, per report (cbssports.com)
Cardinals Coach Jonathan Gannon Fined $100,000 Following Sideline Incident with Running Back Emari Demercado
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has been fined $100,000 by the club for his sideline interaction with running back Emari Demercado during Sunday’s 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans, according to NFL Media reports. The league has stated it will take no further action regarding the matter.
“We have been in contact with the NFLPA, and the club which addressed the matter. There is no further action from the league,” an NFL statement confirmed.
The incident occurred in the fourth quarter after Demercado fumbled a potential 72-yard touchdown. With the Cardinals holding a 21-6 lead, Demercado dropped the ball before crossing the goal line, resulting in a touchback and possession for the Titans. Cameras captured Gannon appearing to make contact with and verbally confront Demercado on the sideline after the play.
On Monday, the day after the game, Gannon issued an apology for his outburst.
“Yeah, I woke up this morning and didn’t feel great about it, honestly,” Gannon stated. “So in the team meeting I addressed it. I apologized to Emari, apologized to the team and I just told them I kind of let the moment of what happened get the better of me there.”
Gannon further elaborated on his regret, emphasizing his role as a composed leader. “Obviously, I try to be emotionally stable and calm because my job is to solve problems during a game, and kind of lead the charge on that.
So 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 and it’s just like everybody in there, everybody made some type of mistake yesterday, which culminates to why we didn’t win the game, and we can’t let it happen moving forward.”
Demercado’s fumble proved to be a pivotal moment in the game, contributing to a brutal loss for the Cardinals. The team, now 2-3, has experienced three consecutive defeats, each decided by a field goal on the final play. The Cardinals had begun the season with back-to-back wins.
Gannon’s fine marks the first instance of an NFL coach being penalized for an altercation with a player since Bruce Arians, then with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, received a $50,000 fine for an incident involving safety Andrew Adams. The Cardinals are scheduled to face the Indianapolis Colts on the road in Week 6.