During Sunday’s 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions OG Jonah Jackson picked up a costly unsportsmanlike penalty late in the third quarter after he reportedly insulted the mother of Browns defensive end, Jadeveon Clowney.
Following the game, Jackson spoke to reporters and though he said he did not remember exactly what was said, he knows it was not wise for him to lose control as he did.
From Detroit Free Press:
“First of all I should have never even put my team in that situation, but it was the heat of the moment, heat of the game,” Jackson said. “We actually chopped it up after, apologized. It was both sides, but definitely should have never been in that situation to begin with.”
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that it was “frustrating” to have that type of penalty because the Lions are not a team that overcomes those types of penalties.
“It hurt,” Campbell said. “And look, he knows it. He knows it. He knew it when it came off, but there was a lot of talking going on. And as a matter of fact, while I’m getting told that, I’m hearing talking. But that’s part of it.”
Campbell is correct. When you have a roster as the Lions do, dumb penalties and mental errors have to be kept to an absolute minimum.