Nick Sirianni's hired babysitter had to separate Eagles HC, Zach Ertz in postgame altercation

Entering Week 16, the Philadelphia Eagles were threatened to seize the NFC’s top playoff seed over the final three games of the regular season. They had won 10 consecutive games, and a slight stumble from the Detroit Lions caused a three-team tie for the coveted spot.

The Washington Commanders had other plans, however. The Commanders pulled out a 36-33 victory against the Eagles, who suffered their first loss since late September. Philadelphia scored early and entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead, but the defense gave up 22 points while the offense repeatedly stalled in field goal range.

Philadelphia has already clinched the NFC East division title, and — at times — they’ve looked like the best team in the league. Still, the team has threatened to implode by breeding its own controversy and drama.

Big Dom broke up a fight between Nick Sirianni and Zach Ertz

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and Commanders tight end Zach Ertz had an altercation during postgame handshakes and formalities on the field, according to Jeff Lane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Neither Sirianni nor Ertz wanted to explain what caused the scuffle, but reports suggest that Ertz took exception to Sirianni’s comments about his performance in the game. Once again, Sirianni was rescued by Eagles chief security officer Dom DiSandro, who escorted the controversial head coach back to the locker room at Northwest Stadium.

“Both of us said ‘congrats’ to each other,” Sirianni told reporters during his postgame press conference. 

“We just exchanged holiday pleasantries and kept it moving,” Ertz said.

Sirianni has faced backlash for his unnecessary antics on the sideline, particularly during the closing moments of a game. During the final moments of an ugly 20-16 win over the Browns earlier this season, Sirianni was seen chirping at Eagles fans who had booed him throughout the game. 

Sirianni has led the Eagles to plenty of success, and he nearly brought another Lombardi Trophy back to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LVII. Still, the 43-year-old has been under a microscope ever since the team’s inexplicable collapse over the second half of the 2023 campaign. After jumping out to a 10-1 record, the Eagles lost five of their last six games to end the regular season. They were put out of their misery with a 32-9 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round.

Some reports suggested that Philadelphia’s late-season struggles were a byproduct of DiSandro’s missing presence on the sidelines. DiSandro received national attention after he got into a sideline scuffle with San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw during their Week 13 matchup. DiSandro was ejected from the game and suspended for the remainder of the regular season. 

DiSandro reportedly kept Sirianni’s emotions in check on the sideline. In his absence, Sirianni got into “numerous arguments” with players and other coaches during games. This story only further confirms there may be some truth behind those reports.