NewsBite

Stars thrown out of game after punches land in ugly sideline scuffle

Two NFL stars were ejected and then fired up again in the tunnel after a messy sideline punch-up that spilled into the crowd.

6 min read
November 26, 2018 - 10:36AM
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette (27) looks on after being ejected after an altercation with Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette (27) looks on after being ejected after an altercation with Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Jacksonville running back Leonard Fournette ran 60-yards from the opposite side of the field to start throwing punches with heated Buffalo rival Shaq Lawson in a sideline scuffle that’s shocked America.

Both players were ejected for throwing punches during the wild fight that broke out in the third quarter of Buffalo’s 24-21 win in Orchard Park.

It didn’t end there.

The pair had to be separated by a platoon of security guards as they continued to scream at each other as they were escorted up the players’ tunnel to their separate dressing rooms.

Lawson had to be held back by a Bills official while Fournette was asked to wait — he was then struck in the left shoulder by a fan, who had reached out from the stands.

While he was clearly filthy with Lawson, Fournette saved his real anger for the fan who struck out at him.

“My biggest thing was when the fan hit me,” he said.

Shaq Lawson was eyeing off Carlos Hyde as well.
Shaq Lawson was eyeing off Carlos Hyde as well.

“I had a problem with that. Other than that, you've just got to move on from it. Like I said, this loss was 100 per cent on me. It's kind of tough to handle right now, but you've got to move on.”

The fan was reportedly ejected from the game after stadium security were able to identify him during their immediate investigation into the ugly scene.

Lawson and Fournette pushed their way to the side of the stands and traded punches while Jaguars running back Carlos Hyde and Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes attempted to separate them.

It all started when Jaguars receiver Donte Moncrief caught what was initially ruled a 30-yard touchdown pass at the left pylon in the third quarter. He was on the ground battling for control of the ball with Levi Wallace when a Jaguars player struck Poyer from behind, and then Lawson ran in and hit Fournette.

From there it was World War Three.

Vreplays showed several players engaged in a heated melee, but the Fournette-Lawson spotfire was the only situation that truly exploded.

The NFL is expected to review the footage to consider further suspensions for the pair.

The touchdown play that sparked the whole saga was eventually dismissed on review, but the catch was upheld.

Without Fournette on the field, the Jaguars were unable to score with their remaining downs and them missed a short-range field goal attempt.

They did not score for the rest of the game and eventually crashed to a 24-21 defeat.

Fournette had earlier scored twice to tie it at 14 in the second quarter. He finished with 95 yards on 18 carries before he was thrown out with 2:57 left in the third.

The Jaguars (3-8) dropped their eighth consecutive game in their longest losing streak since a nine-game slide in 2016, which led directly to Gus Bradley being fired and replaced by current coach Doug Marrone.

The losing streak still wasn’t the ugliest scene witnessed at the game.

STAR’S ‘SAVAGE’ MOMENT OF PERFECT PETTINESS

Browns fans may want to forget about Hue Jackson, but his players haven’t.

Jackson was fired by the Browns on October 29 after going 3-36-1 in his two plus seasons in Cleveland. He has since surfaced as an assistant coach with the Bengals, who hosted the Browns on Sunday.

Jackson’s former players didn’t miss a chance for a little gamesmanship with him now sharing insights with a division rival.

With the Browns up 21-0, Damarious Randall intercepted a pass by Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton near Jackson along the Cincinnati sideline with about nine minutes left to play in the first half. Upon seeing Jackson, the safety politely handed him the ball and Jackson patted him on he head in acknowledgement.

Jackson is currently a special assistant to Bengals coach Marvin Lewis and could be in-line to be Cincinnati’s next head coach. He was an assistant with the Bengals from 2004-06 and again from 2012-15.

The overt disrespect continued at the end of the game when Browns stars continued to give him the cold shoulder as both teams shook hands following the Browns’ 35-20 win.

— New York Post

RIDICULOUS FLIP PLAY IS MIND-BLOWING

There is no possible way to explain the lunacy of Chris Carson flipping and spinning 36- degrees in one impossible attempt to hurdle a covering defender.

You can watch the insane flip from all four angles below and still have no idea how the hell the star running back got spun out of control by Panthers safety Eric Reid — and landed on his feet... and then kept trying to dance his way down field.

Sheer madness.

Carson got the bulk of the carries for the Seahawks’ No. 1-ranked rushing attack, carrying 16 times for 55 yards and a one-yard touchdown. Overall, Seattle gained just 75 yards on the ground — about half of what they normally average.

It didn’t cost them — the Sea Hawks scored a dramatic 30-27 come-from-behind win over the Panthers after Sebastian Janikowski slotted a 31-yard field goal in the final play of the game.

NFL TRASH-TALKING SAGA SIMMERS

Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey raised eyebrows in August when he referred to Buffalo’s Josh Allen as “trash” in an interview with GQ magazine.

“I think Allen is trash. I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me,” he said at the time.

Ramsey was beaten by Allen on a 32-yard reception by Kelvin Benjamin on Buffalo’s first touchdown drive. Ramsey was also penalised for a facemask while tackling Benjamin. Moments after he had an interception negated by an illegal contact penalty, Ramsey was spotted yelling “You trash, you trash!” toward the Bills sideline.

The exchange took place with three seconds left in the first half.

It was only the beginning of their duel.

Allen responded impressively when he ran in a 14-yard, fourth quarter touchdown and celebrated by showing off Ramsey’s trademark strong-man touchdown pose.

The pair did shake hands at the end of Buffalo’s 24-21 victory.

49ERS SACK STAR AFTER DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARREST

Reuben Foster with the Niners last year.
Reuben Foster with the Niners last year.

The San Francisco 49ers have announced plan to release linebacker Reuben Foster after he was arrested at the team hotel in Tampa, Florida, on a domestic violence charge.

An arrest report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office said Foster was booked into jail at 11.11pm Saturday and released Sunday on $2,000 bail.

Foster was arrested by Tampa police at 9.10pm at the Grand Hyatt hotel where the team was staying before playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“He was really taking some very positive steps and maturing in a really nice fashion,” general manager John Lynch told reporters before the game.

“Unfortunately in life there’s consequences for your actions. When you show bad judgment, particularly after something has been communicated very clearly what the expectations are, there are consequences.”

Foster will be placed on waivers officially on Monday.

The other 31 teams will have an opportunity to claim him, although the NFL could place him on the commissioner’s exempt list if he is signed. Spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league is reviewing the matter.

The 24-year-old Foster was charged with one count of first-degree misdemeanour domestic violence.

Tampa Police spokeswoman Janelle McGregor said a woman told police that Foster slapped her phone out of her hand, pushed her in the chest area and slapped her with an open hand on the left side of her face.

McGregor said officers observed a one-inch scratch on the accuser’s left collarbone. McGregor said officers learned that Foster had lived with the woman in the past and had been involved in an on-and-off relationship with her over the past three years.

Police later confirmed the woman was Elissa Ennis, who had accused Foster of hitting her in February but later recanted the allegations. Lynch said the incident didn’t happen on the two secure floors of the hotel reserved for the team, saying players have the opportunity to rent rooms in other parts of the hotel for friends and family members.

Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan said in April following that arrest on domestic violence charges that were eventually dropped after the recantation that the team had a zero-tolerance policy.

— AP

Originally published as Stars thrown out of game after punches land in ugly sideline scuffle

More related stories

Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/sport/us-sports/nfl/stars-thrown-out-of-game-after-punches-land-in-ugly-sideline-scuffle/news-story/641a7184b94c42a7922ac325af1be444