If Mac Jones is a dirty player, you can’t expect his head coach to say otherwise.
On Sunday, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was blasted after he delivered an unnecessary low illegal hit to Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple in Saturday’s loss.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked about his QB being labeled as dirty, but he didn’t defend his quarterback from those accusations.
“Some players, including Eli Apple, have called Mac a dirty player. Do you think he sometimes gets too close to that line or goes over it?”
“You’d have to talk to those guys about that,” Belichick said. “I don’t know.”
Question: “Do you have any issue with anything he did on that play?”
Answer: “I’ll leave it to the officials to officiate the game. Doesn’t really matter what I think.”
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Jones was asked what he thought about people calling him a dirty player on Wednesday. He merely stated he was focused on trying to help the Patriots win a crucial game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
“Everybody has an opinion,” Jones said. “The biggest thing for me is just focusing on being the best teammate I can be and earning the respect of the people in this building and the people I care about. Obviously, I have respect for everyone around the league. It takes a lot to get to this league. I know there’s really good players out there and we’re all playing hard and trying to win. So, at the end of the day, you have to keep that in mind. It’s a game. You want to just have fun and enjoy it and compete against each other. That’s something that I’ve always done and I know my teammates appreciate that about me.
“So excited for the opportunity this week. Obviously a great team we get to go against and another opportunity. You don’t know how many more you’re going to get with this group of guys. That’s what it’s all about. The players in our locker room and on our team. So, excited. Great day of practice today and obviously need to build on it and stack up these days.”
The NFL certainly thought the play was unnecessary, which is why he was fined.
Mac Jones has committed a few questionable plays in the past, with his most memorable being last season when Carolina Panthers star defensive end Brian Burns called Jones out for grabbing his ankle after committing a fumble with players fighting for the loose ball.
Right now, the Patriots are more focused on reaching the playoffs. Despite sitting at 7-8, Jones and the Patriots control their own playoff destiny as they need to beat the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills to reach the postseason.
