A man widely regarded as one of the NFL’s best assistant coaches had fun on Thursday at Anthony Fauci’s expense.
Speaking to reporters, Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio jokingly referred to Fauci’s surreal appearance Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as well as the public face of the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment rather than answer legislators’ questions.
“I’m gonna be like Fauci and just take the Fifth Amendment on all questions,” Fangio quipped in a short video posted to the social media platform X. The coach made that joke in response to a reporter’s query about the team’s starting safety position.
Fangio then laughed and marveled at Fauci’s performance.
“Did you guys see that?” he asked the reporters. “Oh, my God.”
The coach then asked the reporter to repeat the question.
#Eagles DC Vic Fangio opening his press conference today:
“I’m gonna be like Fauci and just take the Fifth Amendment on all questions. Did you guys see that? Oh my god.” 😅 https://t.co/RWufeZV4Gj pic.twitter.com/wEbzo8ZX4s
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 30, 2026
Meanwhile, in a second clip posted to X, Fangio made another Fauci reference.
“I don’t know,” he said in response to a question about an injured player’s possible replacement. “You guys had [general manager] Howie [Roseman] up here yesterday. You should have asked him that.”
“I did,” the reporter replied.
“And what did he say?” Fangio asked. “He ducked you? He Fauci’d you?”
This time, many reporters laughed.
Then, the reporter who posed the question joined in the fun.
“Is that what you’re gonna do? You’re gonna Fauci me on that?” he asked.
Fangio finally answered the question seriously.
“I’m at the mercy of Howie,” he said of the team’s general manager, who makes final personnel decisions.
“He Fauci’d you?”
Eagles DC Vic Fangio is having too much fun with these Fauci jokes today. 😂
(🎥: @Eagles) pic.twitter.com/R7MzKUKuzC
— Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaNFL) July 30, 2026
On Wednesday, Fauci appeared before Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky’s Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Does this make you more likely to root for the Eagles?
The former bureaucrat, however, did little more than appear. Rather than answer questions, he repeatedly pleaded the Fifth Amendment. He did this despite having received a pre-emptive pardon in January 2025 from then-President Joe Biden.
Paul had questions about what he has deemed a massive cover-up of COVID-19’s likely origins in a Chinese lab. Substantial evidence, including some released last month by outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and some released on Saturday by Paul’s committee, suggested that Fauci lied from the beginning about the likely source of the virus and then went to extraordinary lengths to protect his lie.
Thus, the senator grew exasperated on Wednesday and threatened consequences for Fauci’s refusal to cooperate. The committee will vote next week on whether to hold the former bureaucrat in contempt.
In 2025, ESPN ranked all 32 NFL teams’ coaching staffs.
“Fangio, who is inarguably the most influential defensive coordinator of the past decade, is still firmly in the argument for being the best DC doing it today,” the outlet wrote.
On Feb. 9, 2025, Fangio’s swarming defense led the Eagles to a 40-22 win over Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
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