Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni apologized to Washington tight end Zach Ertz for his comments during a heated exchange following the Commanders’ victory on Sunday, according to multiple reports.
The player and coach were seen meeting for the routine postgame handshake, with Ertz instead offering a high-five to Sirianni, who was his head coach during the start of the 2021 season in Philadelphia.
Instead, the two had to be separated by Eagles chief security officer Dom DiSandro, who then escorted Sirianni to a tunnel at Northwest Stadium, according to reports.
Sirianni didn’t like the intensity of Ertz’s high-five and criticized his performance in the game, to which Ertz took exception, according to a report released Thursday morning on the “Uncovering the Birds” podcast with Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Ertz, who was listed as questionable for the game after sustaining a concussion a week earlier in Washington’s 20-19 victory at New Orleans, started on Sunday and had one catch on two targets for 12 yards as the Commanders won 36-33.
Asked afterward about the incident, Sirianni told reporters: “Both of us said ‘congrats’ to each other.”
Ertz, likewise, downplayed the meeting, telling an Inquirer reporter: “We just exchanged holiday pleasantries and kept it moving.”
Sirianni, who according to reports later apologized to Ertz over a Zoom call, met with media members on Thursday. He said that he keeps conversations with players private and that he has respect for Ertz.
During the week leading up to the NFC Division contest, Sirianni said of Ertz: “I think, first and foremost, Zach is an all-time Eagle and was really honored to be around him, and he’s still playing at a high level in this part of his career.
“So, going through that and him moving on, us moving on in the organization, him getting another fresh start, that was always a tough one because I did really come to really value Zach Ertz the person, Zach Ertz the player. Enjoyed the time I had around him.”
The Eagles traded Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 15, 2021, during Sirianni’s first season as head coach and with the Philadelphia organization.
Philadelphia selected Ertz in the second round (35th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Stanford. He has 764 career receptions for 7,972 yards and 50 touchdowns in 166 regular-season games (128 starts) for the Eagles (2013-21), Cardinals (2021-23) and Commanders.
Washington signed Ertz, 34, as a free agent in March. The three-time Pro Bowl selection (2017-19) has started all 15 games for the Commanders and has 55 receptions for 538 yards and four touchdowns.
–Field Level Media
