The Arizona Cardinals 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. There were many contrasting reactions to the incident, following the running back’s 72-yard scamper getting wiped out because he egregiously dropped the ball before crossing the goal line of the end zone.
Former NFL Star T. J. Houshmandzadeh Says He Would Have Beat Up Gannon
The third-year coach apologized, but still came under fire for video showing him berating Demercado and then throwing a jab or hook to his elbow and side area, before storming off.
One former Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl wide receiver, however, says he would have introduced Gannon to these hands if the head coach ever tried such a demeaning and disrespectful tactic towards him. T. J. Houshmandzadeh played 11 years in the NFL, eight of them with the Cincinnati Bengals and joined Emmanuel Acho’s “Speakeasy” podcast to discuss how he would have handled the incident.
“A coach would never do that to me. I’m knocking him out on the sideline. I promise you. Every coach I’ve had knows that. They know that,” said Houshmandzadeh, who had 627 grabs, 7, 237 receiving yards and 44 receiving TDs in his solid career.
“He wouldn’t do that to me,” he continued, before clarifying that he never went looking for an issue with a coach. “He wouldn’t do that to me. I promise you and they know that. I’m not like a tough guy. You just not gonna disrespect me like that.”
T.J. Houshmandzadeh Says Arizona Cardinals Coach Jonathan Gannon Abused His Power, Knew ‘Who to Try’
T.J. also pointed out the fact that a player and head coach dynamic is a power structure, where the head coach has the upper hand. The balance of power isn’t equal so a head coach shouldn’t take advantage of that by dehumanizing the player in any way.
“If I do that to you on the sidelines, I get cut and we know that. I got a son at home. What do you think he gonna say when he see this,” Houshmandzadeh added.
He says there can also be ramifications at home, so the consequences of him allowing that level of disrespect from a coach which is continuously looped on social media and TV, is something that he wouldn’t allow in the moment, regardless of the consequences.
“I might argue with my wife and I raise my voice, she is liable to be like ‘oh you wanna raise your voice to me, but you let that man hit you like that.’”
“Like I’m a man first. But I will say this. He know who to try. He not doing that to nobody he knows is going to put hands on him. And again, I’m not acting like I’m this tough guy. You not putting hands on me. I’m going upside ya’ head. Like if you hit me like that. I’m hitting you back.”
Demercado was lauded for his reserve in not retaliating. According to the former Bengals player, the head coach was lucky to escape the situation with just a $100K fine.
