Video appears to show Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz screaming at fans who booed his decision on Sunday to play for overtime. After having their season ended in a 23-20 loss to the Giants, Schwartz expressed his unhappiness with crowd's lack of support, ESPN reports.
Detroit's late-season collapse will likely lead to Schwartz's termination in the offseason. When fans began booing Schwartz's decision to take the game to overtime, video appeared to show the coach yelling at fans - something he later denied.
"I wasn't addressing the crowd, I was just trying to get our team fired up," Schwartz said, via MLive.com. "I think the psyche of the team at that point, we needed to have that spark. We needed to feel like we're going out here and overtime and we're going to go win it. That's the only thing I was doing there."
Receiver Nate Burleson, however, seemed to think his coach was voicing his frustration with the fans.
"...If the fans are frustrated, just imagine what we feel on the field. And I think maybe Schwartz was just speaking out because the same fans that boo turn around and go crazy when we get the lead," Burleson said, via ESPN. "... I'm not mad at him for doing it. As many times as I wanted to, I kind of stopped myself from saying something to a fan or two that, you know, I probably shouldn't have."
Detroit dropped five of their last six games, including three straight losses. Although Schwartz denied he was yelling at the home crowd, he did admit he was unhappy to hear the chorus of boos.
"I was disappointed to hear boos. We're getting ready for overtime right there and our crowd is great for us and they support us," said Schwartz, via ESPN. "The team needed a lift right there. We didn't need to feel bad at that point."
