Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon lost his cool on the sideline on Sunday in the 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans. It was uncharacteristic of him.
Gannon regretted the exchange and apologized to Demercado and the team for it on Monday.
It came after running back Emari Demercado dropped the ball on what should have been a 72-yard touchdown before crossing the goalline, turning it into a fumble and turnover.
After that play, Gannon was seen yelling at Demercado angrily and striking him a couple of times on Demercado’s pads.
If you haven’t seen it, here is a video of the exchange:
Hitting a player in anger is not a good look.pic.twitter.com/MaVuhvGPUu
— Bird Droppings (@BirdmanofAZ) October 6, 2025
He said he didn’t see the video, but he obviously knew what happened.
“I woke up this morning and didn’t feel great about it, honestly, so in the team meeting I addressed it,” he told reporters on Monday. “I apologized to Emari. I apologized to the team, and I just told them I let the moment get the better of me there.
“Obviously, I try to be emotionally stable and calm, because my job is to solve problems during a game, and lead the charge on that, so it’s not really who I am or want to be, and I told the guys that today.”
Gannon also said that Demercado would face no further punishment for the play.
Why? “It’s what is best for the team.”
We will see if there are any lingering effects of the play and the exchange moving forward.
Out of a bad situation, it is the best thing either Demercado or Gannon could do.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Gannon apologizes for sideline exchange after fumbled touchdown
