Jim Schwartz denies outburst at fans

Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz has denied shouting at fans when they were booing his side during yesterday's overtime loss to the New York Giants.

A chorus of boos rained down from the stands when Schwartz opted to play for overtime with 23 seconds and two timeouts left, prompting an angry reaction from the Lions coach seemingly directed at the home fans.

However, Schwartz insists that his actions were intended to fire his own players up rather than rile the home supporters as his side went on to lose a match that saw them eliminated from playoff contention.

"That's a tough situation when your players are getting booed. You want to keep them fired up and that's what I was trying to do," Schwartz told The AP.

The 47-year-old's future has come under increasing speculation due to the Lions' failure to reach the NFL playoffs, but he would not be drawn on reports suggesting that he won't return next year.

"Speculation isn't my job. Coaching is enough of a job for me," Schwartz added.

The Lions have lost their last three games and will finish their season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.