Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said sorry on Monday for his actions towards fans during the last moments of a win, when some fans booed and chanted “Fire Nick!” at Lincoln Financial Field.
Sirianni, known for being outspoken, responded to fans sitting in the front rows by putting a finger to his ear and engaging with them after a narrow victory against Cleveland.
While he was with his three young children, he explained that he was simply “excited” about the win and added that the Eagles “don’t necessarily like it” when fans boo at home games.
The next day, after receiving backlash from fans and the media, Sirianni softened his tone. “I was trying to bring energy yesterday. Energy, enthusiasm,” he said. “I’m sorry and disappointed at how my energy was directed at the end of the game.
My energy should be all in on coaching, motivating and celebrating with our guys. I have to have better wisdom and discernment of when to use that energy and that wasn’t the time.”
Sirianni mentioned that players had encouraged him during the bye week to show the same passion he displayed on the sideline during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run in the 2022 season and their strong start last year. Veterans like Jalen Hurts and Brandon Graham publicly supported him after the Eagles (3-2) managed to beat Cleveland 20-16.
As of late Monday afternoon, Sirianni had not yet met with team owner Jeffrey Lurie. He connected his change in attitude to a period of self-reflection, comparing his apology to wishing for a do-over on a poor play in football.
“You want to be passionate and have energy just like I did in there today with the guys when we watched film together,” Sirianni noted. “It’s having that discernment of when to do that. I wish there was a playbook for stuff like that. It would make the job a little bit easier to do.”
One of his most memorable interactions with fans was last season when he reacted to Chiefs fans after the Eagles won a Super Bowl rematch. Sirianni faced increased pressure after the Eagles lost six out of seven games, leading to uncertainty about his job over the summer.
However, he received another chance from Lurie, only to find himself in controversy again for not controlling his emotions towards Eagles fans.
“We have the best fans in the world. There’s no place like this,” Sirianni said. “They show up and show out no matter where we are. Brazil, Arizona, it doesn’t matter.”
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