Did Jonathan Gannon Deserve Eye-Opening Fine From Cardinals?

The Arizona Cardinals reportedly fined head coach Jonathan Gannon $100,000 Tuesday for his actions in Sunday's 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

During the game, running back Emari Demercado was on his way to scoring a touchdown on a 72-yard run in the fourth quarter. But the 26-year-old dropped the football before crossing the goal line.

Shortly after, cameras caught Gannon screaming at the third-year running back, with the head coach appearing to make physical contact as he walked away.

Gannon, for his part, apologized for his rant, and the NFL, for its part, considers the matter closed.

Not so fast, my friends, because it's worth considering if the punishment fit the crime. After all, Gannon didn't take a swing at the 26-year-old. And the third-year head coach took responsibility for his behavior.

Now, a coach making physical contract with a player is nothing new. In 2018, Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher was caught on camera grabbing and shaking linebacker Tyrel Dodson's face mask. Fisher said he did it to prevent his player from getting into a fight with an Arkansas player during the Aggies' 24-17 win.

One year later, Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt grabbed the face mask of Jarrett Guarantano after the quarterback fumbled at the goal line and Alabama scooped up the ball for a 100-yard touchdown. While both he and Fisher caught a ton of flak for their actions, neither one was punished.

But wait, you say. Didn't the NFL fine Bruce Arians back in 2022 for swatting one of his players on the helmet? Indeed, the league docked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach $50,000 for hitting safety Andrew Adams' helmet during a playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Arians made no apologies for his action, saying he was trying to prevent Adams from drawing a flag following a muffed punt. Video showed Arians slapping Adams' helmet and then elbowing his player.

According to ESPN, the league fined Arians for "conduct directed towards your players that fell below standards expected of an NFL head coach."

But Arians didn't apologize for his actions."I've seen enough dumb," Arians noted a day later. "You can't pull guys out of a pile. We just got a big play, great field position, and he's trying to pull a guy out of a pile and I was trying to knock him off that guy so he didn't get a penalty.”

Now we can add Gannon to the list, with the price tag doubling since the last incident. But again, we must ask: Does the punishment fit the crime?

On the same day the Cardinals fined Gannon $100,000, the NFL fined Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones $250,000. That's more than twice what Gannon got from Arizona. So what in the world did Jones do?

Sep 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on before the game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Video caught Jones flipping off fans at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. during Dallas' 37-22 win over the New York Jets. Jones, after getting called out, apologized for his one-fingered salute and said it was "inadvertent" and "unfortunate.”

And there's precedent for Jones' fine. In 2009, the NFL docked Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for waving his middle finger at Buffalo Bills fans.

So what can we make of all this?

If actions speak louder than words, the conclusion one can draw from this is the league is more concerned about its image than about what's actually happening on the sidelines.

Neither Jones nor Adams made physical contact with fans. However both Gannon and Arians made physically aggressive moves against their own players. So why are the coaches fined less than the owners?

Now, this isn't to say that Gannon and Arians should have received larger fines. Just the opposite.

Why fine anyone? The point here is sometimes emotions get the better of us. Especially during a game. Maybe we should just take a step back and realize we are all human beings who sometimes make stupid and regrettable mistakes in the heat of the moment.

In all four of these scenarios, no one was hurt. No one went to jail. No harm, no foul.

OK, maybe there is one more point here: When all else fails, keep your hands to yourself.

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