Cardinals HC Gannon fined 100K for sideline incident with Demercado

Syndication: Arizona Republic

GLENDALE – A video surfaced late Sunday night of Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon getting into the face of running back Emari Demercado, following the 26-year-old halfback’s fumble at the goal line. The play was unacceptable and Gannon was giving Demercado a fiery talk, before ending the conversation with a hard slap onto the chest of his player.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Despite the ridiculous mistake, the aggressive tap on the chest seemed to raise the eyebrows of former players and fans. Gannon apologized for the outburst on Monday. However, the team announced on Tuesday that they’ll be fining Gannon $100,000 for the altercation.

Sideline incident between Gannon and Demercado:

This is the first time an NFL coach has been fined for an incident with a player since 2022, when Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians hit Andrew Adams’ helmet. Gannon will not face any further discipline from the franchise, as it’ll try to move on from the video and Sunday’s terrible loss altogether.

The 42-year-old coach is known for his calm demeanor, not allowing any moment to overwhelm him. The sideline spat was the first time Gannon has had an outburst of that nature, which is likely why there won’t be any further punishment for him.

Many fans believed Demercado would be cut for his dropped ball mistake, that surely would’ve sealed the game for the Cardinals. However, the team didn’t cut him on Monday, and after the release of the Gannon video and fine, it looks like Demercado will remain on the roster for the time being.

Cardinals HC Gannon apologizes for controversial altercation with RB Demercado in Week 5

Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*

Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports