Noah Fant can be a weapon for Drew Lock. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Broncos tight end Noah Fant wasn’t happy with the Raiders sideline. Now, we know why.
The Broncos and Raiders rather meaningless Week 17 game — at least in terms of the NFC Playoff picture — took a turn for the bizarre when Fant got into it with a Raiders coach. Initially, the broadcast didn’t show much that would anger Fant, but a slow motion replay leans more towards the Denver tight end’s point of view.
The unnamed Raiders coach appears to elbow Fant as he loses control on the Las Vegas sideline. While he didn’t make a tremendous amount of contact, Fant had already lost his bearings, meaning any push could’ve resulted in injury. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, but Fant wasn’t about to let the Raiders off the hook.
Fant isn’t totally blameless here, either
Making contact with anyone on the opposing sideline is a big no-no. It’s even worse when it’s a coach of the opposing team. While the Raiders coach has no excuse for making contact with Fant to begin with, the Broncos TE is wearing pads. Therefore, for him to try and shoulder the coach in an act of revenge isn’t evening the score whatsoever.
Nonetheless, expect the NFL to take a closer look at this exchange. It’s something Roger Goodell and Co. will want to nip in the bud as soon as possible, as these two division rivals face off twice next season.