Advertisement

Panthers' Brian Burns wishes fellow DEs 'happy hunting' after Mac Jones' ankle twist

Jack Baer
·Staff writer
·3-min read

Carolina Panthers defensive end Brian Burns doesn't seem happy with how Mac Jones' ankle twisting has played out.

The young pass rusher sustained an ankle injury in Sunday's game against the New England Patriots, partially thanks to an unquestionably dirty play by the quarterback in the first quarter. Burns had strip-sacked Jones, who appeared to react by grabbing Burns by the ankle and twisting until Burns went down.

Replay really doesn't do Jones any favors:

Burns would eventually return to the game, but exit for good in the fourth quarter after rolling his ankle. He did not practice Wednesday and is considered a game-time decision, per ESPN, though Burns indicated he expects to play.

The initial reaction to Jones' ankle twist was about what you would expect, with ire from the Panthers sideline and shrugs from the commissioner's office. The NFL reportedly indicated the next day that all Jones was facing was a potential fine, with no suspension.

Jones himself responded by claiming he thought Burns had the ball and was trying to make a tackle, but Burns didn't buy that excuse on Wednesday,

Brian Burns calls out Mac Jones' ankle twist defense

Speaking with reporters, Burns called Jones' explanation "some bull" and noted that Jones' "tackle" wouldn't have been legal even if he did have the ball:

"His explanation for it, because he thought I had the ball, I don't think you can think a person has the ball, as soon as I sacked you, you grabbed my arm. And then everybody ran past us. Even if you thought I had the ball, it's not legal to trip somebody, leg sweep somebody, let alone twist ankle. It's not legal to do that."

When asked how he would like the situation to be remedied, Burns said he would like an apology, but failing at that, wished his fellow pass-rushers "happy hunting."

"It would be nice to have an apology, Mac, but it's not going to happen. However, the NFL handles it, it's on them. I would just like to play them again. I wish all my fellow D-end brothers happy hunting. That's all."

Jones actually did get a chance to apologize on Wednesday, but opted against it.

From ESPN:

"I already addressed that situation. I'm just looking forward to playing in this game with the guys we have on our team this week. So we're already kind of moving forward and ready to play this week," he said.

As luck would have it for Burns, the next team on the Patriots' schedule happens to be the Cleveland Browns, aka the team with Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.