Don’ expect the bad blood between Brian Burns and Mac Jones to simmer anytime soon.
On Wednesday, the Panthers’ defensive end addressed Jones’ comments that he had no intention to hurt Burns on a play in Sunday’s game, which resulted in Burns injuring his right ankle.
“I think it’s some bull for him to take his legs because my main thing is he took his legs and he swept the one leg I had up. I think it’s some bull,” Burns told reporters Wednesday. “And 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 sack you, you grab my arm, and then everybody ran past us. But even if you thought I had the ball, it’s not legal to trip somebody or to leg-sweep somebody, let alone twist ankles. It’s not legal to do that.”
In the first quarter of Sunday’s game, Jones was hit from his blind side and stripped of the ball. When both teams scrambled during the fumble, the Patriots rookie QB held onto Burns’ ankle. Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu recovered the ball and no penalty was called on the play.
The Patriots went on to win the game, 24-6, with Panthers linebacker Haason Reddick later dubbing the play “completely dirty.”
During an appearance Monday on WEEI’s “Merloni & Fauria” radio show, Jones explained what he saw at the moment.
“After I got hit pretty hard, I didn’t really know exactly what was going on,” Jones said. “I thought he had the ball. It was my job to try and make the tackle. That was pretty much it. Obviously, when you get up and see the ball, it’s actually down the field a little bit more.”
When asked Wednesday if he had received an apology from Jones or anyone from New England, the 23-year-old replied, “no,” with a laugh.
“Not at all. They’re not going to hit me up,” he said.
Although Burns would welcome an apology, he also offered a few choice words to his fellow NFL colleagues.
“However the NFL handles it is on them. I would just like to play them again,” Burns said of a Patriots rematch, which will not happen again in the regular season. “I wish all my D-end brothers happy hunting. That’s all.”
Jones and the Patriots will face the Browns on Sunday. Their superstar defensive end, Myles Garrett, however, did not practice Wednesday.