Carolina Panthers vast receiver Xavier Legette and Cleveland Browns security Rayshawn Jenkins each had brief nights of their groups’ Friday preseason opener, as each have been ejected following a battle within the first quarter. The 2 have been concerned in a pushing and shoving match on a Panthers landing drive within the first quarter, which escalated when Legette started throwing punches at Jenkins.
The incident occurred in run help, as Legette blocked Jenkins on a play that wound up being a lack of a yard for working again Chuba Hubbard. After some shoving and obvious jawing between the 2 with Jenkins chopping Legette’s arms down, Legette started to throw punches at Jenkins, which Jenkins responded to by ripping off Legette’s helmet. After offsetting fouls have been assessed to each groups, Legette and Jenkins have been each ejected for the rest of the sport and despatched to their respective locker rooms.
Shortly afterward, Legette posted an apology to Panthers fans from his X account, saying that it would not occur once more. Following the Panthers’ 30-10 loss to the Browns, coach Dave Canales defined that Legette was ending his play with arms on — because the Panthers’ receivers are taught to do — however rebuked the punches that his second 12 months receiver started throwing.
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Cameron Salerno
“You possibly can’t try this. Neither facet. Each guys obtained ejected, rightly so,” Canales advised reporters. “We will not have that as part of our sport. It is a bodily sport. If you cannot deal with that … Tempers are gonna get scorching, however as quickly as you throw a punch, abruptly we’re at a drawback. We need to see higher from X for positive.”
Legette, the No. 32 total decide within the 2024 NFL Draft, ended up within the highlight for the flawed causes on an evening the place his new wingman made his presence felt the precise approach. The Legette-Jenkins battle got here simply after a giant play by Panthers rookie vast receiver and No. 8 total decide Tetairoa McMillan, who got here down with a 30-yard over-the-shoulder catch and ended his night time with two receptions for 43 yards, although a drop of a would-be landing in the long run zone gave him one thing to work on shifting ahead.