Former Patriots Super Bowl winner calls out Mac Jones for alleged dirty plays in NFL career - ”You can't keep defending the same things”
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has again been accused of being a dirty player. The quarterback was accused by New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner of hitting him in the lower body. Gardner was seen pushing Jones after the altercation.
Three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty played for the Patriots for 13 seasons. He made his weekly performance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Wednesday morning. McCourty said he doesn't believe that Jones is a dirty player, but that it's getting harder to defend him:
“I think for anybody, you can't keep defending the same things. So I think he needs to do a better job of that. I don't think he's a dirty player or a dirty person, and I think somewhere along the line in his competitive edge, he's doing things that you don't really need to have on the football field. Ever.”
Devin McCourty did say that Jones needs to watch how he acts on the football field as aggressive behavior could continue the narrative that he plays dirty. That is a reputation that an NFL quarterback definitely shouldn't be associated with.
Whether or not the National Football League decides to fine Mac Jones remains to be seen.
Other times Mac Jones was accused of unsportsmanlike behavior
Mac Jones' recent incident with the Jets' Sauce Gardner isn't the first time the quarterback has been accused of wrongdoing. Jones' inappropriate behavior in the NFL dates back to his rookie season in 2021.
While playing against the Carolina Panthers, Brian Burns caused a strip-sack on the quarterback. Jones retaliated by grabbing Burns' ankle to try and stop him, and Burns suffered an injury on the play.
In 2022, Jones was fined by the NFL for three different plays. In a December meeting against the Buffalo Bills, the quarterback was seen flipping the football at the defense. The NFL fined him $10,609 for that incident.
Shortly afterward, in the Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Jones racked up two different fines. At the end of a play that he claimed was a loose fumble, he threw himself into the pile of players. It wasn't ruled a fumble and he was fined another $10,609.
Later in the game, the New England Patriots offense fumbled and it was recovered by the Bengals' Germaine Pratt. Cincinnati's cornerback Eli Apple then attempted to block for Pratt behind the play and Jones tripped him. The NFL fined him $13,367 for that incident.