Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio made light of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s repeated invocation of the Fifth Amendment during a Senate hearing this week, using the former health official as the punchline for a pair of jokes while speaking with reporters at training camp.
Fangio referenced Fauci during a media session after being asked whether safety Marcus Epps had the inside track on earning the starting job.
Rather than answer directly, the veteran defensive coordinator responded with a quip that drew laughs from those gathered.
“I’m gonna be like Fauci and just take the Fifth Amendment on all questions,” Fangio said.
He then smiled, shook his head and continued joking about the widely watched Senate hearing.
“Did you guys see that? Oh my god,” Fangio added.
Fangio’s remarks came one day after Fauci appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where the former chief medical adviser repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right while facing questions from Republican lawmakers about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the hearing, Fauci pleaded the Fifth 111 times as GOP senators pressed him over decisions made during the pandemic and questioned his actions while serving as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Democratic members of the committee largely came to Fauci’s defense throughout the hearing, criticizing the proceedings as overtly partisan and pushing back against Republican attacks on the longtime public health official.
Following the hearing, committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he intends to seek a committee vote next week on whether Fauci should be held in contempt of Congress.
Paul argued that Fauci should not have relied on the Fifth Amendment because of the preemptive pardon he received from former President Joe Biden in January 2025.
“We believe that with his … immunity from criminal liability, that he didn’t need to hide behind the Fifth Amendment and that maybe the Fifth Amendment doesn’t attach when you have a pardon in place,” Paul told reporters after the hearing.
Fangio later returned to the subject during another exchange with reporters at Eagles training camp.
The conversation shifted to personnel questions after Fangio suggested that a reporter should have asked Eagles general manager Howie Roseman the previous day whether there was any chance veteran Brandon Graham could return as outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard deals with a pectoral strain.
The reporter responded that he had, in fact, asked Roseman about the possibility.
Fangio then delivered another joke referencing Fauci’s Senate testimony.
“And what he’d say?” Fangio asked. “He ducked you? He Faucied you?”
The remark drew laughter from members of the media covering the team.
The comments marked Fangio’s second Fauci-related joke during the same press conference, with both referencing the former health official’s repeated use of the Fifth Amendment before the Senate panel.
The Eagles officially opened training camp on Tuesday as the team begins preparations for the upcoming NFL season.
Philadelphia is scheduled to kick off its regular season on Sept. 13 when it hosts the Washington Commanders at home.
While the focus at training camp typically centers on roster battles and player development, Fangio’s remarks briefly shifted attention to the political arena, as the longtime NFL coach joked about one of the week’s most closely watched congressional hearings and Fauci’s repeated decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment while answering questions from senators.
[READ MORE: Rahm Emanuel Says He Challenged Zohran Mamdani Over Anti-Israel Views, Aide Denies Exchange Took Place]
