Detroit Lions LB Jamie Collins committed one of the more inexplicable errors in judgement, lowering his head and making contact with official Alex Kemp while trying to demonstrate his concern over Bears RB David Montgomery lowering his head illegally.
He was, of course, immediately ejected from the game. However, he was able to avoid suspension.
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During media availability with media members earlier today, Lions head coach Matt Patricia offered his thoughts on the situation, stating explicitly that Collins shouldn’t have made contact with an official.
“Yep, I’ve spoken to him at length and spoken to the team,” Patricia said Monday. “Look, I think the bottom line is there are rules in place for a reason and it’s to protect everybody that’s out on the field, including the officials. Everybody knows that. Whether it’s an honest mistake or not, you just can’t do that. That’s the bottom line.”
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“Jamie, he understands that,” Patricia continued. “He knows that. He just was trying to demonstrate, more so than do anything aggressive. It was more, ‘Hey, this is what’s going on.’ Unfortunately, got too close. It’s not OK. We know that. We can’t afford to lose a great player at the beginning game. It’s a hard lesson for everybody to learn, but it’s another reminder about those situation. …You can’t touch an official. It is what it is.”
Kemp explained his decision to toss Collins afterwards:
“Players are allowed to touch officials, put a hand on your shoulder, or something of that nature, but unnecessary contact with a game official — it’s Rule 12-3-1-E — covers unnecessary contact to a game official. So, that’s what I went with.”
The rule states: “Unnecessary physical contact with a game official. Under no circumstance is a player allowed to shove, push, or strike an official in an offensive, disrespectful, or unsportsmanlike manner. The player shall be disqualified from the game.”
“I judged it as unnecessary, so I called a foul,” Kemp said. “I decided to eject the player.”
– – Quotes via Justin Rogers of The Detroit News Link – –
