Watch: Kwon Alexander ejected for helmet-to-helmet hit on Jameis Winston
Kwon Alexander got a chance to face his former team on Sunday when his San Francisco 49ers took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the veteran did not make it through the first quarter because of an ill-advised play.
Jameis Winston ran for a first down early in the game and went into a slide, but Alexander hit him anyway. Not only did the hit appear late, but Alexander clearly led with his helmet and made helmet-to-helmet contact with Winston. He was penalized 15 yards and ejected.
Kwon Alexander ejected. pic.twitter.com/4zAXos77fj
— Melissa Jacobs (@thefootballgirl) September 8, 2019
The NFL has made an effort to crack down on plays like that, and players are now subject to an immediate ejection for a first offense the same way they are at the collegiate level. Alexander may have been playing with a little added motivation as a former Buc, but that play is going to result in an ejection every time.
Week 1 featured multiple ejections across the NFL, with Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack also getting tossed from an earlier game for throwing a swing at an opponent. Jack basically had to be dragged off the field after he was forced to leave.
Alexander, a fourth-round pick in 2014, spent the first four years of his career in Tampa before signing a four-year, $54 million deal with the 49ers this past offseason.
