Tensions came to a boil over after the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 26-21 win against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, September 28, as Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen and San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had to be separated following a confrontation.
The incident came days after Saleh, 46, suggested the Jaguars were adept at “legally stealing signals” from opponents, comments that fueled speculation before the matchup. When the game ended, Coen, 39, initially ignored Saleh at midfield but circled back later as tempers flared.
Video of the altercation, captured by Action Sports Jax, instantly went viral on social media.
“Keep my name out of your mouth,” Coen yelled at Saleh. “Keep my name out of your f***ing mouth.”
Saleh shot back, “I will f*** your world up.”
The exchange quickly escalated, with Jaguars center Robert Hainsey restraining Coen while a 49ers staffer pulled Saleh away. Jaguars offensive lineman Walker Little was also seen exchanging words with Saleh during the confrontation.When asked about the altercation after the game, Coen downplayed the situation.
“Not a big deal,” Coen told reporters on Sunday. “Just keep that between us.”
Saleh was not available to the media postgame, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed whether his defensive coordinator’s earlier remarks may have set things off.
“I don’t think you should be that sensitive about it, but it is what it is,” Shanahan said. “I’m not too worried about it.”
Shanahan, 45, added that Saleh’s signal-stealing comments were intended as praise.
“I think Saleh was paying them a big compliment in what they’re good at doing,” Shanahan said.It’s not illegal. He said there’s nothing illegal about itI think you use the word sign stealing and what the headlines get with those type of words, I think the perception of that becomes wrong.”
Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said he wasn’t surprised emotions boiled over.
“I’m actually excited that he kind of kept his composure throughout the game,” Hines-Allen, 29, told reporters after the game. “And then, at the last minute, ‘Hey, do what you’ve got to do.’”
Saleh made his original remarks to reporters on Thursday, September 25, when he said the Jaguars used a “really advanced” system for decoding signals.
Coen, asked about the comments on Friday, September 26, declined to respond directly but said using pre-snap indicators was part of coaching preparation.
“We have kind of typically by formation, by game plan, by working really hard as a coaching staff throughout the week, trying to get indicators by your formation, motion, shift, pre-snap,” Coen said. “Those are the things that you’re trying to do as a coach if you’re trying to put your players in the best position to be successful, whether it’s attacking man or zone coverage with your formations, motions and concepts.”
Jaguars quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, brushed off the controversy after the win.
“Definitely, you use everything you can [for motivation], and if they’re going to give you free fuel, you take it,” Lawrence, 25, said postgame. “That stuff doesn’t really matter. You’ve got to go take care of business and execute and find a way to win the game, which we did today.”
