Broncos coach Vic Fangio spoke with Jets' Adam Gase after handshake brush-off
Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio cleared the air on Friday after ushering his team off the field and refusing to shake hands with New York Jets coach Adam Gase following an ugly Thursday night game.
Fangio told reporters after a 37-28 win he got his players off the field to avoid a confrontation. There were a total of six personal foul penalties agains the Jets, including three roughing the passer calls and two for unnecessary roughness. The game ended with two brutal hits on Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien in his NFL debut.
In a call with media on Friday, Fangio said he and Gase are friends and the snub had nothing to do with his counterpart. He reiterated it was about avoiding any “embarrassment for the league,” per Mike Klis of 9News.
More Fangio: “Unfortunately by the time I decided to get everybody in I only had about 10 seconds to get it done. … I just didn’t want any situation that would be an embarrassment for the league and for the teams.” #9sports
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) October 2, 2020
Fangio said:
“Both of us texted each other after the game. And we spoke today on the phone. Adam and I are friends. Have been, will continue to be. ... I was just trying to avoid a situation at the end of the game from escalating.”
“Unfortunately by the time I decided to get everybody in I only had about 10 seconds to get it done. ... I just didn’t want any situation that would be an embarrassment for the league and for the teams.”
Fangio could be heard directing players to go straight to the locker room and used some salty language to do it. He didn’t stick around himself, either.
Complicating matters, the Jets defense is run by Gregg Williams, who was suspended for his part in the BountyGate scandal. NFL veteran Steve Smith ripped into the situation after the game on NFL Network, saying he is “about that BS.”
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