Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is reportedly going to be a little lighter in the pockets after the NFL hit him up for a pair of fines stemming from Christmas Eve’s loss to the Bengals last week.
“The NFL fined Patriots QB Mac Jones $23,976 for his actions in last week’s loss to the Bengals,” shared NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero. “$13,367 for his low block on Eli Apple and $10,609 for a separate unnecessary roughness violation.”
Jones earned the “dirty” tag in the eyes of many after going low on Cincinnati corner Eli Apple when he was 15-yards away from the play on a Bengals turnover.
The second-year QB tried to explain himself on WEEI Monday:
I went down in front of him to kind of get in the way to stop him from slowing down Tyquan, who obviously could make the tackle there. So just kind of went down in front of him, trying to stop a fast guy from getting to another fast guy. It’s a split-second decision and there’s a lot that goes into it. You’re out there trying to compete, it’s a physical game. So just trying to help the team win. I have all the respect for Eli and the Bengals. … So, there’s no hard feelings and definitely no intention to hurt anybody on that play.
Since the incident, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has declined to comment on if the former first-round pick is a “dirty player.”