Eagles' Sirianni reportedly apologizes for spat with former Pro Bowl TE

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Eagles HC Nick Sirianni reportedly apologizes for spat with former Pro Bowl TE

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Dec 26, 2024 5:09 PM ET

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reportedly made amends for his postgame altercation with Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz in Week 16.

On Thursday, ESPN's Tim McManus reported Sirianni recently contacted Ertz to apologize. McManus added Eagles head of security Dom DiSandro separated them before the situation escalated.

JP Finlay of WRC-TV in Washington also shared a brief clip of their spat on his X account. It appears Sirianni said something that offended Ertz.

Here’s a little bit of video from Zach Ertz and Nick Sirianni from postgame. Looks pretty clear Ertz took offense to something Sirianni said.
(Video from @dckerNBC4) pic.twitter.com/vykAFGAB38
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) December 26, 2024

According to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer, " Their brief dust-up saw Ertz take exception to a comment Sirianni made about his performance in the game."

Ertz — who was returning from a concussion — only had one reception for 12 yards on two targets in the 36-33 win over the Eagles.

"I'll just keep all of my conversations with any guys private," Sirianni said Thursday, per McManus. "I've got a lot of respect for Zach. Great football player, great person to be around. I really got a lot of respect for Zach and all the good things that he's done and my relationship with him."

Ertz played for Philadelphia from 2013-21, making three Pro Bowls and catching 38 touchdowns. However, he doesn't have much history with Sirianni.

In Sirianni's first season as Eagles HC, Philadelphia traded Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals after six games.

Regardless, apologizing to Ertz is the right move, and it shows the coach realizes he must better control his emotions. Fox cameras caught Sirianni jawing with fans at the end of a 20-16 Week 6 home victory over the Cleveland Browns.

His antics could distract a squad with Super Bowl aspirations. The Eagles (12-3) are second in the NFC behind the Detroit Lions (13-2). They can clinch the NFC East with a home win over the Dallas Cowboys (7-8) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Philadelphia needs Sirianni to keep his cool to make a deep postseason run.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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