Jones says ankle hold on Burns wasn't malicious: 'I thought he had the ball'
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was accused of a dirty play when he held Brian Burns' ankle as the Carolina Panthers pass-rusher attempted to twist away following a strip sack during Sunday's contest.
But the rookie signal-caller insisted Monday he assumed Burns had the ball and was only thinking about trying to limit the damage from his turnover.
"After I got hit pretty hard, I didn't really know exactly what was going on. I thought he had the ball," Jones told WEEI's Merloni and Fauria. "It was my job to try and make the tackle."
The 23-year-old added: "I didn't mean to hurt anybody or anything like that."
The best view you'll ever see of Mac Jones rolling up on Brian Burns, via NFL Films.
- John Ellis (@1PantherPlace) November 8, 2021
(H/T: @philorbanWSOC9) pic.twitter.com/cC6r9XkwfE
Burns injured his ankle on the play and briefly went to the medical tent.
Panthers linebacker Haason Reddick was frustrated by the lack of a penalty on Jones.
"Definitely thought it was a dirty play,'' Reddick said, according to ESPN's David Newton. "I actually saw and witnessed the play while it was happening. At first, it felt like he was trying (to) trip or kick Burns. And the next thing you know, I saw him tugging on Burns' ankle. I thought it was completely dirty. Hopefully, it's something the league addresses.''
Reddick said he spoke to Burns after the Patriots' 24-6 win and said he'll "be fine."
The NFL will look into the incident as part of its normal review process, and Jones could face a fine, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Copyright (C) 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.