PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — If you felt Nick Sirianni’s antics in the waning moments of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday were a bad look — guess what: You’re not alone.
“Embarrassing” is how two team officials labeled Sirianni’s behavior to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.
With a minute to go in the fourth quarter, NFL on FOX broadcast cameras caught Sirianni engaged in an animated exchange towards fans behind the home sideline at Lincoln Financial Field.
Asked about the incident during his post-game press conference, the 43-year-old head coach didn’t offer much.
“Just excited to get the win,” he said, flanked onstage by his three children and expressing no regrets over the potentially precarious optics his actions might have caused.
By the next morning, Sirianni and the Eagles had a fire to put out. The story had spread way beyond the realm of local sports talk radio to social media and national TV shows.
When he held his regularly scheduled day-after-game Q&A with reporters Monday afternoon, Sirianni did an about-face.
“I was trying to bring energy, enthusiasm. I’m sorry and disappointed [with] how my energy was directed.”
While key leaders within the Eagles locker room, from quarterback Jalen Hurts to veteran Brandon Graham, have encouraged Sirianni to embrace the brash personality traits he’s flashed in the past, less clear is how Sirianni’s conduct was perceived by team owner Jeffrey Lurie.
The latest episode of unCovering the Birds dives into this question.
Plus, check out McLane’s one-on-one with star running back Saquon Barkley, who’s preparing for his first game against the Giants after jettisoning New York for the Eagles this offseason.
🦅 unCovering the Birds
unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. New episodes drop weekly following every Eagles’ game. Listen right here, on the Audacy app, or wherever you get your podcasts.