Jaguars' Coen and 49ers' Saleh clash over sign-stealing accusations

Sport

Jaguars' Coen and 49ers' Saleh clash over sign-stealing accusations

2025-09-29 10:50 Last Updated At：11:00

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The pregame tiff between San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Jacksonville coach Liam Coen over accusations of “legal” sign stealing by the Jaguars spilled over into the postgame.

Coen could be seen yelling at Saleh as he was being held back by offensive lineman Robert Hainsey following Jacksonville's 26-21 win over San Francisco on Sunday. Coen was heard shouting “Keep my name out of your mouth” in a video posted by Action Sports Jax.

“No big deal,” Coen said in a postgame interview. “I’m just going to keep that between us right now. That’s it.”

It seemed like a bigger deal than that as the two coaches were yelling at each other as they walked off the field. Saleh had called Coen's staff “elite” when it comes to stealing defensive signals — in a legal fashion.

Coen brushed aside those remarks when asked during the week and wouldn't talk about it with the media after the game. But his players saw what had happened and used it as motivation on Sunday.

“You use everything you can,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “If you’re going to give me free fuel, you take it. That’s something that you always do. But at the end of the day you got to go play the game. That stuff doesn’t really matter. You take care of business and execute and find a way to win the game, which we did today. So it feels great.”

Saleh said on Thursday many coaches who worked under Sean McVay on the Rams or Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota are skilled at stealing signs. Coen spent four seasons on McVay’s staff in Los Angeles while Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski spent the past three seasons working for O’Connell on the Vikings.

“They’ve got legally, a really advanced signal-stealing type system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation,” he said. “They do a great job with it. ... So, we’ve got to be great with our signals and we’ve got to be great with our communication to combat some of the tells that we might give on the field. They’re almost elite in that regard.”

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said that he believed Saleh was trying to complement the Jaguars staff but that the use of a loaded phrase like “sign stealing” took away from that.

Shanahan said he didn't see the postgame interaction but said he doesn't think Coen “should be that sensitive about it.”

"We don’t totally care if coaches are (ticked) off. It has no effect on the game," he said. “I think Saleh’s having a big mouth about what they’re good at is not illegal, there’s nothing illegal about it. He used the words ‘sign-stealing,’ and headlines (were) made with those couple of words, that gave the perception of that. I don’t think that was the goal.”

Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who spent four seasons playing under Saleh in San Francisco, said he believes it's not a major issue.

“I know coaches get competitive,” he said. “They’re two great coaches and obviously both fiery. I don’t really know what that was about.”

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Dozens presumed dead and about 100 injured in fire at Swiss Alps bar during New Year's celebration

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Dozens of people are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a Swiss Alps bar during a New Year’s celebration, police said Thursday.

“Several tens of people” were killed at the bar, Le Constellation, Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said.

Work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families but “that will take time and for the time being it is premature to give you a more precise figure," Gisler said.

Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general of the Valais Canton, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.

“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.

Officials called the blaze an “embrasement généralisé,” a firefighting term describing how a blaze can trigger the release of combustible gases that can then ignite violently and cause what English-speaking firefighters would call a flashover or a backdraft.

“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, Rénard said.

Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said.

“We are devastated,” Frédéric Gisler, commander of the Valais Cantonal police, said during a news conference.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, according to regional councilor Mathias Rénard.

The municipality had banned New Year’s Eve fireworks due to lack of rainfall in the past month, according to its website.

In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.

The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, and 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Zurich.

The highest point of Crans-Montana, with a population of 10,000 residents, sits at an elevation of nearly 3,000 meters (1.86 miles), according to the municipality’s website, which says officials are seeking to move away from a tourist culture and attract high-tech research and development.

The municipality was formed only nine years ago, on Jan. 1, 2017, when multiple towns merged. It extends over 590 hectares (2.3 square miles) from the Rhône Valley to the Plaine Morte glacier.

Crans-Montana is one of the top race venues on the World Cup circuit in Alpine skiing and will host the next world championships over two weeks in February 2027.

In four weeks’ time, the resort will host the best men’s and women’s downhill racers for their last events before going to the Milan Cortina Olympics, which open Feb. 6.

Crans-Montana also is a premium venue in international golf. The Crans-sur-Sierre club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course with stunning mountains views.