Gannon’s Heated Clash Results in a 100,000 Dollar Fine
Following a narrow 22-21 defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans, the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals is now facing a fine of $100,000 handed to him by his own organization.
The powers at be for the Cardinals handed head coach Jonathon Gannon the punishment following his very public altercation with running back Emari Demercado.
The incident unfolded later on in the game, beginning with shouting from the coach, which then appeared to transpire into a more physical jostle on the sideline. Gannon was clearly frustrated with Demercado following a 72-yard touchdown play early in the fourth quarter, which the running back accidentally fumbled. Had the touchdown counted, the Cardinals would have extended their lead to 28-6 with over 12 minutes remaining. Instead, Demercado fumbled the ball before crossing the line, and the play was ruled against the Arizona team as the referees deemed it to be a fumble out of the back end of the touchdown zone.
Following the altercation unfolding on the touchline, which has been circulated in many videos on social media since, the Arizona Cardinals seemed to lose all their winning steam. The momentum shifted towards the Titans, who seized the opportunity with both arms open. The Titans managed to score 16 points and pulled off a momentous comeback. This ends their 10-game losing drought, which stretches back into last season's campaign.
Before the match, the odds were not in favor of the Titans. Sports wagering platforms, including no verification betting sites that allow for anonymous betting, believed the Titans had a win probability as low as 1.8%.
Gannon was sanctioned most notably by his own team. The Cardinals appear to have taken things into their own hands and dished out the punishment to Gannon internally rather than it being levied by the NFL bureaucracy. ESPN has since reported that the players' association and NFL representatives have been in touch following the event, but it has been deemed that there is no requirement for further sanctions, with the Cardinals' fine seemingly being enough punishment for Gannon.
Gannon has since apologized for his actions, but this incident does churn up several issues for the Arizona team. Whilst many fans of the NFL have been focusing on the dire state of play Arch Manning finds himself in after his poor start to the season, the Cardinals are sure to have some in-camp issues to iron out in the coming weeks, which may place the spotlight on them more.
The team has now lost 3 straight games in the league to late field goals, and there are sure to be whispers of dissent from the locker room following this bust-up. Gannon is now in his 3rd season in charge of the team, but given that pressure was already mounting and there will now likely be internal disruption from Demercado and other players internally, the head coach may find himself in troubled water moving forward. There are bound to be defiant murmurs floating around, and the team can ill afford distractions. Their season seems to already be slipping away from them before their very eyes, and with losses mounting, the last thing they really needed was an internal dispute.
It is now up to the team to accept Gannon's apology and to find some much-needed cohesion before they face off against the Colts. Another defeat may see them very much teeter over the edge.