Security chief Dom DiSandro is back. The Eagles hope he brings ‘good juju’ to the sideline.
With the regular season in the books, DiSandro is poised to assume his post on the sideline for the Eagles’ wild-card matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
The Eagles’ sideline has looked a little bit different since the Week 14 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
That night, chief security officer Dom DiSandro was denied access to the sideline for his involvement the week prior in a brief dustup with with San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw. The NFL ultimately decided to extend DiSandro’s sideline ban through the regular season, NFL sources told The Inquirer at the time, despite an appeal from the Eagles.
With the regular season in the books, DiSandro is poised to assume his post on the sideline for the Eagles’ wild-card matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, marking the return of a presence as immense as “Big Dom” himself.
“Well, to be honest, you don’t really notice the significance that he played on our team till he was gone,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “And it’s like, [expletive]. We haven’t been executing since he was gone. We’re getting our [expletive] beat since he was gone. So maybe he was a little bit of that good juju.
“So I think the positive vibes, man. Believe it or not, he’s actually a very positive person. Especially on game days. He’ll get you locked in. So it’s gonna be great having him back, for sure. Just the energy. The energy that we needed.”
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The reality is that DiSandro and his impact never completely left. Although he was no longer physically standing on the sideline during the remainder of the regular season, in which the Eagles went 1-5 including their loss to the 49ers when DiSandro was ejected, he continued to “fulfill his role with the team in all other capacities,” according to a statement from the Eagles released on Dec. 9.
That role includes being a support system for the players off the field, too. For kicker Jake Elliott, DiSandro is the “do-it-all guy.” For inside linebacker Nakobe Dean, DiSandro is the “fix-it”— if anybody on the team needs something, go to him. A dinner reservation? Talk to DiSandro. A backdoor connection at the DMV to avoid waiting in line? DiSandro has the hookup. A flat tire? DiSandro can get you a tow.
“He runs the city and the building,” Elliott said, “so he’s a good ear to talk to all the time and he’s a comforting presence.”
At the NovaCare Complex, DiSandro’s comforting presence can most often be found in his office, which is located near the cafeteria on the same level as the locker room to make it easy for players to stop by at their convenience. According to Dean, DiSandro is typically blasting R&B music, providing a lively atmosphere for visitors and passersby alike.
Jerseys of Eagles past adorn his walls, an ode to the history of the organization and his own 25-year tenure with the team. Inside linebacker Shaquille Leonard, who joined the Eagles in Week 14 following a six-year career with the Indianapolis Colts, has enjoyed learning more about the organization through the history on DiSandro’s walls.
“I go in there and sit,” Leonard said. “Just seeing all the greats that he has on his wall. A guy that comes in, you want to learn history about the organization and he got a lot of history on his wall. He had a lot of legends come in and out. So just go in there, talk to him how he handles different personalities, different people, and how they are still a part of his life.
“A lot of people when they leave, they kind of shut everybody out. But you see that he’s been a great human being, just to be able to be there for them guys even long after their career’s over.”
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After games, DiSandro is one of the first faces that the players see when they return to the locker room, always willing to uplift players during their recent losing stretch. Above all else, DiSandro has still provided an ear for players as a trusted figure outside of the coaching staff who is willing to listen to any concern, regardless of whether it’s related to football.
“It really is good to have those escapes, especially safe spaces as men,” defensive end Brandon Graham said. “Because we don’t open up a lot. Some better than others, I’d say, because everybody done been through stuff in life. And so it’s always good when you can count on somebody that you can trust.”
Looking back at DiSandro’s short-lived skirmish with Greenlaw, which came shortly after the linebacker tackled wide receiver DeVonta Smith at the Eagles’ sideline and committed a personal foul for unnecessary roughness, Leonard said that DiSandro was just trying to prevent both players from incurring additional penalties. Ultimately, both Greenlaw and DiSandro were ejected for the remainder of the game. Later, Greenlaw was fined $10,927 for unnecessary roughness, and following the unsuccessful appeal, the Eagles were fined $100,000.
But for Leonard, that instance was just one of many other that served as a reminder that DiSandro has the players’ backs, no matter the situation.
“You’ll go to war for people like that,” Leonard said. “For me, he’s about like the equipment people who do all the dirty work and the cafeteria staff who do all the dirty work, who don’t get no acknowledgement. You want to go out and win not just for your teammates and the coaches.
“You really want to win for the people who do the dirty work, and he’s one of them guys that you truly want to go win for just because how much he has our back in so many different scenarios.”
The Eagles will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Monday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Raymond James Stadium.