NEED TO KNOW
- Two coaches exchanged harsh words after the 49ers-Jaguars contest on Sept. 28
- Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Jags coach Liam Coen had to be restrained when their paths crossed on the field
- The clash came a week after Saleh claimed that the Jaguars “legally” steal signs
Amid allegations of sign-stealing, two coaches had to be restrained from one another following the San Francisco 49ers-Jacksonville Jaguars game on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Last week, ahead of the team’s game, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh accused the Jags of “legally stealing signs,” which seemingly did not sit well with Jacksonville’s coach Liam Coen.
“Keep my name out of your mouth,” Coen was seen yelling in Saleh’s direction when the two crossed paths on the field post-game on Sunday. “Keep my name out of your f—ing mouth,” he repeated in footage shared by Action Sports Jax.
Saleh replied, in part, “I will f— your world up.”
In video from the near-skirmish, the two coaches yelled at one another while supporting staff made sure to hold them away from each other.
Coen addressed the incident after the game, where he declined to speak further about the fight.
“Not a big deal, just keep that between us,” Coen told reporters. “Nah, we’re gonna keep that between us. Nope, just gonna keep that between us right now, that’s it.”
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan also seemed to dismiss the exchange after the game.
“I didn’t see what happened, so I’m not sure,” Shanahan said. “I don’t think he should be that sensitive about it. But it is what it is. Not too worried about it.”
Before Jacksonville’s 26-21 upset of previously undefeated San Francisco, the former New York Jets head coach made headlines for his comments about the Jaguars on Thursday, Sept. 25, when he told reporters that the team has a “really advanced signal-stealing-type system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation,” per NFL.com.
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“They’re almost elite in that regard,” Saleh said.
He added, “That whole entire tree from Sean [McVay] to Kevin O’Connell to all of those guys, they all do it. There’s challenges. They’re going to catch us in some situations where they have the advantage and we’ve just got to play sound, fundamental football and do our best to out-execute them.”
