Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has been fined $100,000 after appearing to hit his own player in a shocking sideline incident.
Gannon furiously confronted running back Emari Demercado on Sunday after the player fumbled the ball out of the end zone before what would have been a 72-yard touchdown.
And Gannon has now been handed a severe fine from the Cardinals, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added that the league will not be punishing Gannon.
‘We have been in contact with the NFLPA, and the club which addressed the matter. There is no further action from the league,’ a statement said.
On Monday, Gannon admitted he made a ‘mistake’ with how he handled the incident, and said that he had apologized to the running back.
Jonathan Gannon has been fined $100,000 by the Cardinals for appearing to his his own player
Gannon (white hat) confronted Emari Demercado following a crucial fumble on Sunday
Demercado (31) fumbled the ball on the 1-yard-line while trying to celebrate a touchdown
‘I woke up this morning and didn’t feel great about it, honestly,’ he said.
‘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.’
In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Titans, with Arizona up 21-6, Demercado raced towards the end zone for what would have been a 72-yard, game-ending touchdown run.
But replays showed the running back celebrated too early and dropped the football before he crossed the goal line.
The play was ruled a fumble out of the back of the end zone, which gave the Titans possession at their 20 and ultimately proved to be the catalyst for a surprising comeback.
On Monday, 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 (2-3) have now dropped three straight games, all on last-second field goals.
