Why Bears’ Matt Nagy was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct during ‘Monday Night Football’
Matt Nagy uttered the “magic words” on Monday night.
The Bears fell to the Vikings 17-9 on “Monday Night Football” in something of a slopfest of a game exemplified by the Bears head coach getting slapped with a 15-yard penalty in the first quarter.
MORE: NFL Week 16 picks, predictions
Referee Scott Novak explained why Nagy earned the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but didn’t expound on what exactly Nagy said.
“I won’t repeat what he said,” Novak said via the Chicago Sun-Times. “But when it crosses a line and it’s inappropriate, then that’s when we throw a flag.”
Novak also said that it’s a difficult situation to manage, considering you can’t preemptively warn a coach.
“It’s tough to warn because we don’t know where the conversation is going. So, if he just ends up going in that direction and it gets to where we need to throw a flag, we throw it.”
The Bears head coach was seemingly extra fired up on Monday night: Late in the third quarter, Nagy threw a challenge flag and once again let the officials have it.
The Bears would win the challenge, forcing a Vikings punt.
Nagy’s Bears tenure seems to be coming to an end sooner rather than later, with Chicago’s 10th loss on the season essentially cementing his “unemployed” status at some point in the coming months.
At least he’ll have these two moments to look back on.