Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni apologized on Monday for yelling toward fans in the Lincoln Financial Field crowd as his team wrapped up a 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Broadcast cameras caught the exchange, which occurred in the final minute of the game.
“My energy should be all in on coaching and celebrating with our guys,” he said. “I’ve got to have better wisdom and discernment on when to use it and that wasn’t the time.”
Sirianni previously declined to go into detail about the interaction Sunday, telling reporters he was “just excited to get the win.”
The exchange occurred shortly after Eagles receiver A.J. Brown hauled in a 40-yard pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts with under two minutes to play. That conversion allowed Philadelphia to take a knee and run out the clock.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni appears to have some words towards the crowd as the clocked ticked down in the Philly victory. pic.twitter.com/XILkMvVamD
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 13, 2024
He walked toward the stands, put his index finger to his right ear and said something that wasn’t picked up by the broadcast.
Sirianni said Monday that he reviewed his behavior and changed his mind about how he reacted in the moment. He said he hadn’t spoken with owner Jeffrey Lurie.
“That’s my self-review after each game,” he said. “I always think I probably do too good of a job of pulling myself through the mud at the end of the game, but at the end of the day, that one called for it. And then also, that’s the only way you get better.”
It wasn’t the first time Sirianni had exchanged words with fans after a win. He goaded Kansas City Chiefs fans after the Eagles’ Week 11 win against the Chiefs last year, yelling: “See ya!”
In 2022, he stood on a bench and said something toward fans in the stands after a come-from-behind, Week 11 win against the Indianapolis Colts.
Sirianni, in his fourth season with the Eagles, is in a pivotal season. His job status came into question after the Eagles lost six of seven to end last year, including a wild-card playoff loss. Philadelphia brought Sirianni back, but he changed both his offensive and defensive coordinator.
Sunday’s win over Cleveland was a pivotal early season moment for the Eagles, who were less-than-convincing in a 2-2 start before a bye last week. Philadelphia travels to the New York Giants (2-4) on Sunday.
(Photo: Heather Barry / Getty Images)
