NFL won't fine Mac Jones for 'dirty' play on Panthers DE originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Mac Jones will not be disciplined by the NFL for his ankle-grabbing incident last Sunday vs. the Carolina Panthers.
The Patriots' rookie quarterback was widely criticized for grabbing and twisting the ankle of Panthers defensive end Brian Burns. The play, which Burns wanted an apology for, "did not rise to the level of a fine in the NFL’s opinion," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
How will Jones, Pats fare in second half? This sim gives mixed results
Jones stressed after the game that the ankle grab was not ill-intentioned.
NBC Sports
"After I got hit pretty hard, I didn’t really know exactly what was going on," he told WEEI's "Merloni & Fauria". "I thought he had the ball, and it was my job to try and make the tackle. That’s pretty much it.
"Obviously when you get up and see the ball is actually down the field a little bit more -- it was just a bang-bang play, and I didn’t mean to hurt anybody or anything like that. I was just trying to tackle him and make the play, because I didn't really know what was going on."
That explanation didn't sit well with Burns and the lack of a fine from the league probably won't either.
While the incident won't lead to discipline for Jones, it remains a storyline heading into Sunday's game vs. the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland's star defensive end Myles Garrett made some interesting comments about the controversy during his press conference Friday.
Kickoff for Patriots-Browns is set for 1 p.m. ET Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
