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In many respects, the days of football players playing dirty have yielded to a broader respect for the health and safety of all players. But it’s not quite universal.
Periodically, players accuse other players of tactics that could cause injury. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is currently the target of such allegations.
Watch the play. Well behind a fumble return by Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt (the play ultimately was deemed to be an incomplete pass), Jones inexplicably dove at the legs of Bengals cornerback Eli Apple.
The only remotely plausible explanation for the maneuver was that Jones hoped to keep Apple from blocking Patriots receiver Tyquan Thornton, who was chasing Pratt. Even then, Apple seemed to be too far behind Thornton to have been able to get in position to make a legal block.
The more likely explanation is that, with 6:17 in a 22-12 game that was about to become 28-12 pending the extra point, Jones acted on the frustrations he was feeling.
After the game, Apple made his displeasure with Jones known.
“He tripped me,” Apple told NESN.com. “I thought it was a dirty play. He’s done that before, I’ve seen it.”
After Sunday’s loss, Jones may not get a chance to make any dirty plays in the postseason.
“Yeah, well, they’re going home now,” Apple said.
It’s definitely not the first time Jones has been accused of doing something that wasn’t clean. In 2021, he grabbed and twisted the ankle of Panthers pass rusher Brian Burns. Burns was livid, Jones was unapologetic. Ultimately, Jones was not fined.
This one contains far less gray area. It was a clear violation of the rules against low blocks. It was an unnecessary hit, away from the play. Jones easily could have injured Apple.
So what will happen to Jones over this? He may be wishing that all he gets is a lump of coal.