J. T. Ibe issues statement about his hit on Keith Kirkwood, feels terrible about the situation
J.T. Ibe made headlines for the wrong reasons yesterday. He was released by the Carolina Panthers following a hit in the head of wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, which halted practice earlier than expected. Kirkwood was carted off the field after the incident.
Even though Kirkwood managed to avoid a major injury and only had a concussion, the Panthers waived Ibe minutes after practice ended.
Following Ibe's release, he released a statement through his agent regarding the incident:
Truthfully, I feel terrible for the play. I'm glad Keith is doing fine, but as a teammate I'm supposed to protect my brothers during practice and I didn't do that today, and I let the team and coaches down. I was aiming for the ball and didn't think I hit him that hard or launched into him, but looking back at the clip, I didn't choose the most efficient way. Just glad Keith is going to be okay.
It was not the smartest play of Ibe's life, for sure, but it's also difficult not to feel sorry for the kid, an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina whose chance to play at a professional level is probably gone now. He expressed remorse in a genuine way after the hit and he quickly apologized.
Matt Rhule, Panthers' head coach, upset with Ibe's hit
Matt Rhule, however, wasn't having none of it.
"Kirkwood had movement in his legs, didn't have any pain in his neck. A lot of that obviously is precautionary. We'll wait to see after he's looked at, what exactly it is. Those were just the early signs. It's completely unacceptable to do something like that. There's things, bang-bang plays, that happen. Guys will hit the ground, but you can't tee off on somebody. That's not what we'll do. It's undisciplined by us, so that can't happen."
Kirkwood was released from the hospital after the concussion diagnosis, going back to the facility hours later.
Ibe wanted to set the record straight in an interview following the incident, stating that he "looked at him when I landed, and I just felt bad. I asked the trainers to tell him I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit him like that. It wasn't intentional at all and I'm praying he's OK".
Kirkwood was back into practice on Wednesday, but he had a red jersey on and wasn't practicing. Ibe is a free agent now.