Ben Boulware apologizes for choke hold on Lamar Jackson

Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware apologized for the play where it looked like he had Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson by the neck during Saturday’s game.

The Tigers beat the Cardinals in a thriller in Death Valley 42-36. One play that had everyone talking came in the second quarter when Boulware pretty much had Jackson in a choke hold on a pile (watch here).

Jackson sprung up from the pile and was running around furiously after the play. Following the game, Boulware explained his actions and apologized for the play.

“I was just trying to pull him back. It might have looked dirty; I wasn’t intending on it being a dirty play,” Boulware said via the Post and Courier. “It’s just, he kept trying to drive forward and I was trying to drive back. The way I had him, it might have looked like I was trying to hurt him. It’s just football. I’m trying to stop him, and he’s trying to get another yard.

“If he thought it was a dirty play, I apologize. I didn’t intend for it to be that way. I was just grabbing onto something and trying to pull him back, whatever that may be. I don’t think he took it to heart.”

Boulware’s explanation makes sense in that context. When you’re a defensive player in the middle of battle, it’s understandable how you could get carried away. But Boulware needs to understand that after the whistle blows, it’s time to shut it off and move on to the next play. His actions endangered Jackson, and that’s not alright.