Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Following one of the most bone-headed moves in sports, Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon was filmed on the sidelines ripping into running back Emari Demercado . Demercado dropped the ball before crossing the goal line on a would-be 72-yard touchdown run against the Tennessee Titans.
It led to a collapse of epic proportions, though Gannon wouldn’t have known that at the time. Regardless, his explosion on the sidelines proved costly.
According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Cardinals are fining Jonathan Gannon $100,000 for the incident. The league will reportedly take no further action.
“We have been in contact with the NFLPA, and the club which addressed the matter,” a league statement provided to Pelissero read. “There is no further action from the league.”
Emari Demercado drops the ball early
So what led to Jonathan Gannon’s outburst? Well, the Arizona Cardinals appeared to be on the verge of putting away the Tennessee Titans for good early in the fourth quarter. Then disaster struck, courtesy of running back Emari Demercado.
The talented running back broke free from the line of scrimmage on a third-and-1 carry and found nothing but green grass in front of him. As he raced 72 yards to the end zone for the score, Demercado got a little ahead of himself.