"Happy hunting" - Panthers' Brian Burns sounds off warning to Mac Jones
Thanks to Brian Burns, the "10" on Mac Jones' New England Patriots uniform could well become a target of sorts in the aftermath of Sunday's events against the Carolina Panthers.
Jones' first quarter fumble during a 24-6 New England victory has become the source of controversy. Stripped of the ball by Burns in the process of a sack, Jones latched onto Burns' ankle in the ensuing melee for the loose ball, bringing the defender down from behind. Burns needed assistance to get back to the sidelines and later endured another ankle injury that fully removed him from the game, a 24-6 New England win. The defensive end's status is in question as the Panthers (4-5) face a difficult test on Sunday afternoon against Arizona (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox).
#Panthers pass-rusher Brian Burns says it would be nice if Mac Jones apologized for grabbing his ankle on Sunday, but he doesn’t expect it to happen. “I would just like to play them again. I wish all my fellow D-end brothers happy hunting.”
https://t.co/V3iQc8YBJY
What did Burns say about the controversy?
Burns responded to the controversial play on Wednesday. In video from Ari Meirov, he said that he'd prefer to get an apology from Jones, but he doesn't see that happening. He preferred to put the matter in the hands of the league...as well as future pursuers of Jones.
"It would be nice to have an apology, but it's not going to happen," Burns says in the video. "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."
Several of Burns' Carolina teammates have, likewise, spoken out against Jones' controversial grab. Running back Christian McCaffrey labeled it "pretty suspect" (per David Newton of ESPN) while fellow defender Haason Reddick held nothing back in his analysis.
"I definitely thought it was a dirty play," Reddick said, per team reporter Darin Gantt. "I actually saw and witnessed the play while it was happening as I was running. I saw him over there. At first, it looked like he was trying to trip or kick Burns, and then the next thing you know, I noticed I saw him tugging on Burns' ankle. I thought it was completely dirty. Hopefully it's something that the league addresses."
Burns takes down Mac Jones and Luvu recovers
📺: CBS https://t.co/htMtFu50P2
On the New England side of things, Jones has expressed his desire to move on and has defended the play by claiming that he thought Burns had the ball. The fumble was, instead, recovered by Carolina linebacker Frankie Luvu about ten yards away from the incident.
"It was just a bang-bang play, and I didn't mean to hurt anybody or anything like that," Jones told WEEI hosts Lou Merloni and Christian Fauria earlier this week. "I was just trying to tackle him and make the play. Because you know, I didn't really know what was going on."
New England (5-4) will take on the Cleveland Browns at home on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags