Mike McCarthy apologizes to cameraman following postgame lens shove

Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy was in no mood to have a camera in his face as he made the somber trek back to the locker room following his Cowboys’ 19-12 loss versus the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.

AP photos captured McCarthy shoving a camera away from him, in turn knocking the cameraman off balance. However, according to the cameraman himself, the Dallas skipper merely put a “hand to the lens” and later followed up with an apology.

“Thank you to everyone that has reached out regarding the Mike McCarthy incident,” Noah Bullard shared on Twitter with his camera’s view of the interaction. “I can see how the photo appeared like he pushed me but it was more of a hand to the lens. I did meet with Coach McCarthy privately in his office and he did apologize.”

Thank you to everyone that has reached out regarding the Mike McCarthy incident. I can see how the photo appeared like he pushed me but it was more of a hand to the lens. I did meet with coach McCarthy privately in his office and he did apologize. @NBCDFW #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/LuOfPVRqhq

— Noah Bullard (@noah_bullard) January 23, 2023

After the game, McCarthy expressed his disappointment from once again falling short of the organization’s high standards.

“Would we like to have a couple more snaps? Yes,” McCarthy said. “Would we like to have a couple more third-down conversions on offense? Yes, we could’ve used those, too. Just extremely disappointed. This has been an incredible journey with this group of men, we just came up short tonight to a very good football team.”

Jerry Jones comments on Mike McCarthy’s future in Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys made it a step further this season than last season but the end result was the same – a one-score loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and madness on the final drive of the game. Cowboys team owner and general manager Jerry Jones addressed the media following the team’s second-round playoff exit on Sunday night and specifically responded to questions about head coach Mike McCarthy’s job status.

“No, no, not at all,” Jones said about whether he’s changed his mind about McCarthy staying in Dallas. “The decision for… Our kicker was exonerated with his field goal, in my mind, I’m proud of him. This is very sickening to not win tonight.”

Despite the 19-12 loss on the road, Mike McCarthy managed to lead the team to two back-to-back 12-win regular seasons and won the Cowboys’ first road playoff game in 30 years. He’ll have to wait another year to try to break the Cowboys’ NFC championship drought.

Alas, now, it’s back to the drawing board for Jones and McCarthy. Part of the early offseason could include a defensive coordinator search as Dan Quinn’s side impressed once again amid his head coach interviews.