New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is keeping his starting job for at least one more week, but he may find himself in hot water for a different reason.
Jones faced some scrutiny Wednesday as video went viral of the New England Patriots quarterback sliding to avoid a tackle in Monday’s loss to the Chicago Bears. During his slide, Jones appeared to kick out at Bears safety Jaquan Brisker in an unnatural way, leading some to question whether there was intent on Jones’ part.
The video on the first tweet got removed, but here's a similar video of the first slide.pic.twitter.com/WhktQjonw7
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 27, 2022
Former NFL defensive lineman and current ESPN analyst Marcus Spears took note of the play and dubbed Jones “the Grayson Allen of football.”
The Grayson Allen of Football 🤷🏾♂️ https://t.co/0kKglula2H
— Marcus Spears (@mspears96) October 26, 2022
This would not be controversial if not for an incident last year that led some to question Jones’ dirtiness. Jones could be seen grabbing the ankle of Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Brian Burns during a scramble for a fumble, which prompted one Panthers player to label Jones a dirty player. That reputation spread as other defenders took notice.
There are certainly rational explanations for why Jones might bend his leg that way while sliding, as it could have been an effort to stop the slide and pop back up quickly. Some defenders and critics probably won’t give him the benefit of the doubt here, though.
