It’s not uncommon for head coaches to react to comments from media members, but it’s rare for one to target a local media member from a different city, especially in a multi-year saga. This past Sunday, Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott specifically addressed Baltimore radio host Jerry Coleman. The context of the situation dates back to 2020 when Coleman, then with 105.7 The Fan, referred to Buffalo as a “city of losers,” sparking pushback from Bills’ fans.
Despite the initial outrage, the incident took a positive turn when over 300 Bills’ fans donated more than $7,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association of Western New York in response to Coleman’s comments about his mother’s battle with the disease. Coleman acknowledged this outpouring of support during a broadcast, which seemed to turn the “city of losers” remark into something meaningful.
This week, Coleman’s past comments resurfaced when he reiterated his stance during a Baltimore Ravens press conference, stating, “I was just stating the facts.” Coleman made the remark after asking Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh about dealing with the Bills Mafia. When another reporter mentioned that “Bills Mafia doesn’t like Jerry anyway,” Coleman confirmed, “They didn’t like what I said about them a few years ago,” referencing his original comments with a laugh.
This answer took a MUCH different turn when asking about #Ravens visiting #Bills #NFL #Ravensflock pic.twitter.com/gjyzMePLk0
— Jerry Coleman (@sportswcoleman) January 13, 2025
Following Coleman’s comments, the Bills’ stadium operations crew played a clip of his 2020 remarks during the Ravens’ introduction, prompting a chorus of boos from the crowd. After the Bills’ victory, Coach McDermott responded to Coleman’s remarks, declaring Buffalo to be a “city of winners.”
city of losers? pic.twitter.com/zEAEwH9nf4
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) January 20, 2025
McDermott emphasized, “No, it’s a city of winners. It really is. These people and this town are winners… I consider this my hometown. This place is different, and the people here are different, and they deserve more than whoever said that about them.” While it’s not unusual for a local media figure to make provocative comments, the revival of Coleman’s 2020 remarks, his doubling down, and the subsequent reaction from the Bills’ stadium operations team were all unexpected. If coaches respond to every inflammatory remark from opposing media, it could consume valuable time and energy.
