Seahawks player explains why he tried to attack Jaguars fans; NFL will investigate
One of the most bizarre situations in the NFL this year took place in Jacksonville on Sunday during the closing minutes of the Jaguars' 30-24 win over the Seahawks.
After the Jaguars converted a third-and-11 to effectively end the game with just under two minutes left to play, things got a little testy on the field. What should have been two easy kneel downs by the Jaguars to end the game turned into a circus after chaos broke out on the field.
On Jacksonville's second kneel down, Seahawks defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson got ejected from the game and that's when things got really crazy. As Richardson was walking off the field, a fan threw something at him, and Jefferson reacted like he was ready to fight that fan on the spot.
Things are getting UGLY in Jacksonville pic.twitter.com/rsPnztEZAs — Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) December 11, 2017
Here's how close Jefferson got to getting into the stands before security in Jacksonville was able to stop him.
After the game, Jefferson explained his behavior when asked about the incident.
"Folks in the stands was throwing beer and throwing soda, whatever. I mean, I don't know what I'm supposed to do," Jefferson, via ESPN.com. "I'm a human just like anybody else. I'm a man just like the other man in the stands. I'm not going to let somebody disrespect me, throw a beer on me."
Jefferson didn't exactly apologize when he was asked if he should have tried to go into the stands.
"I don't know," Jefferson said when asked if his actions were right or wrong. "Was it the right call for him to throw beer on me? I'm just wondering if it was the right call for him to throw a beer on me," Jefferson said. "Just saying."
One person who didn't take Jefferson's side after the game was Pete Carroll. Carroll kind of defended the fan by pointing out that paying fans can do "whatever they want."
"I don't even know what happened. He just kind of lost it," Carroll said of Jefferson, via USA Today. "Somebody poured a beer on his head as he was walking out of the stadium. I told him that's pro football. They pay to get in. They can do whatever they want, I guess."
This isn't the last time we'll be hearing about this situation. The NFL announced on Monday that it will be investigating the entire situation. Besides Jefferson, Seattle's Sheldon Richardson was also ejected from the game and Michael Bennett was penalized for unnecessary roughness, which all took place in the final minute.
The NFL is also going to look into the possibility that the Jaguars didn't provide enough security at the game with multiple fans throwing things at Jefferson.
"The home team does have responsibility for security and we work closely with all 32 of our clubs on those issues," NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said, via Pro Football Talk. "We are going to be looking at and talking to both clubs about a variety of things in that game particularly at the end where we had a series of ejections, on-field issues and then leaving the field. We will be working with the club to identify those who might have been involved in throwing objects or acting outside the rules we expect of our fans. That has already begun, as well as our football operations department looking at on-field stuff. Nothing to report at this point, but all of this will be looked at thoroughly."