Jonathan Gannon Reportedly Fined $100K By Cardinals for Emari Demercado Altercation

The Arizona Cardinals fined head coach Jonathan Gannon $100,000 for his altercation with running back Emari Demercado following his costly fumble during the team's 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Gannon was spotted yelling at Demercado in a video after the running back was on the verge of scoring a 72-yard touchdown, but dropped the ball to celebrate just before crossing into the end zone. The play was eventually ruled a touchback.

Schefter noted that Gannon is the first head coach to be fined by his team since Jan. 2022.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the NFL won't take any action against Gannon.

The third-year head coach apologized for the incident on Monday.

"I didn't see the video. But I actually woke up this morning and didn't feel great about it, honestly," Gannon told reporters. "So in the team meeting, I addressed it. I apologized to Emari, apologized to the team. I just told them I let the moment of what happened get the better of me there."

Demercado's fumble against Tennessee was the first of his career and came at an especially tough time, as his potential touchdown would have given Arizona a three-possession lead.

Instead, the Titans closed the game on a 16-0 run and emerged victorious with a game-winning field goal as time expired.

▶️ Full Titans-Cardinals Recap

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"I made a mistake," Demercado told reporters after the game. "There's really no excuse. I was obviously emotional. It was a big play, but I just got to be smarter."

The 26-year-old has operated in a depth role this season, rushing for 89 yards on seven carries.

Demercado is the latest player to give the ball away just before scoring a touchdown in 2025, as Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell committed a similar fumble on the verge of the end zone in Week 4.

As for the Cardinals, they fell to 2-3 with Sunday's loss to Tennessee