The Arizona Cardinals have fined third-year head coach Jonathan Gannon $100,000 for striking running back Emari Demercado on the sidelines during Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray Handles Loss With Class
Arizona suffered one of the most gut-wrenching losses in team history, and Gannon, who struck Demercado on the sidelines after the running back committed a cardinal football sin by dropping the ball before crossing the goal line, has to take some blame, despite DeMercado’s inexcusable gaffe that led to a monumental collapse.
Demercado had a 72-yard touchdown wiped away early in the fourth quarter and the Cardinals proceeded to squander a 15-point lead, losing to the Tennessee Titans 22-21 on Joey Slye’s last-second field goal.
Quarterback Kyler Murray could have destroyed his teammate, but instead he dealt with the situation with class.
“I’m really close to Emari. I know his character, his IQ of the game,” Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said. “I wouldn’t think Emari would do that, but we all make mistakes. He’s going to take that on the chin, he understands that. He owns up to that. I’m sure he’s frustrated.”
Arizona jumped out to an early 18-point lead against the struggling Titans and led 21-6 when Demercado jetted past the Titans’ defense and was taking it to the crib with no interference. For some reason, the runnign back let up around the 5-yard line as Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed closed in. Demercado flipped the ball away just as Sneed reached for it, and the officials initially ruled it a touchdown.
Head Coach Jonathan Gannon Loses His Marbles, Strikes Player On Sidelines
Review showed he released the ball before he crossed the goal line and of course, head coach Jonathan Gannon lost his mind. He berated Demercado and was even seen striking him on the elbow on the sidelines in front of the team as he walked by and continued to express disgust for the mistake.
Gannon’s outrage didn’t help the team at all. In fact, it showed a lack of leadership and understanding for the moment. The Cardinals still had a significant lead and if the head coach could have kept it together, maybe the team wouldn’t have imploded.
Say what you want about Demercado’s blunder, but the loss is on Gannon, who is clearly under a lot of pressure.
Jonathan Gannon Fined $100K For Hitting Player On Sidelines After Fumble: Social Media Reacts
Gannon’s actions were blasted by fans and media across social media. Even after he apologized.
“I woke up this morning and didn’t feel great about it honestly, “said Gannon. 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.”
Some fans on social media tried to downplay the incident as just something that happens on the sidelines in football. Some even defended Gannon’s actions under the circumstances.
“So the player inexcusably drops the ball before he crosses the goal line and we’re gonna give him a free pass,” said one fan who clearly thinks the NFL is a video game and also probably supports capital punishment.
“Dude got slapped on the chest lol,” wrote another fan. “What a joke. I’ve seen coaches do worse in minor situations. Society is fkn soft as butter.”
Most understood where Gannon followed up Demercado’s egregious blunder with one of his own.
“No, you’re not to hit a grown professional man like he’s your elementary school son! The player had remarkable restraint as he should have knocked him out,” insisted another fan.
Jeff Saturday Blasts Actions Of Arizona Cardinals Coach Jonathan Gannon
ESPN “Get Up” co-host and former NFL Player Jeff Saturday wasn’t buying into the notion that the situation wasn’t a huge deal and players are “soft” these days.
“(Gannon) was dead wrong and he knows it. Take aside the fumble, dead wrong. You don’t put your hands on another man. You can be upset, but you don’t put your hands on another man. Arguments happen. It’s an intense game on the sideline but you don’t ever put your hands on somebody on the sidelines. But he apologized for it. He was dead wrong.”
Jonathan Gannon Is 14-25 As Arizona Cardinals Head Coach
Gannon Has 14-25 record as Cardinals HC and has never had a winning season. So far the Cards are 2-3 after Sunday’s horrible defeat. Understood that he’s under plenty of pressure, but the 42-year-old is still trying to build a culture of respect and winning. It’s 2025, not 1975. Most likely, assaulting and berating players on the sidelines is not going to work out well for a coach, who is barely a few years older than the players he’s supposed to be leading. The bigger question in Arizona is whether or not Gannon is cut out for the job.
