GREEN BAY, Wis. – For the second time this season, Green Bay Packers rookie linebacker Quay Walker has been ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. Walker was thrown out of Sunday night’s regular-season finale with 7:24 left after he shoved a member of the Detroit Lions’ medical staff who was tending to injured running back D’Andre Swift on the field.
It was an unpenalized forearm to the head of Swift by Packers defensive tackle Jarran Reed that caused the stoppage in play.
I have been watching football since I started watching with my dad and my brother when I was five years old. Until last night, I have NEVER seen a player on any team EVER confront a member of an opposing team’s medical staff until Quay Walker did it on national television in front of millions of viewers.
My God, only a week ago we graphically witnessed how a team’s medical staff can literally make the difference between life and death. They are guardian angels that all the players realize are there solely for their health and safety, and this yahoo was annoyed that the medical team member was in HIS way?! Really?! What audacity!
By the way, Quay Walker is the first NFL player to be ejected from more than one game in a single season since the year 2000, so I think that is all that needs to be said about his pathetic character or lack thereof.
Worthless. He didn’t become such an assshole when he reached the NFL. I’ll bet he’s been a discipline problem since his talent became apparent and he started getting favored treatment.
Plus, in this day and age there is always the question of how many of those words were written by him, and how many by the person who handles his social media accounts.
Fwiw, this is probably Green Bay’s PR team telling him he needs to say something and telling him what to say.
It’s bad enough to put your hands on another person in anger or frustration. But he essentially sucker punched a medical professional at least twice his age who was tending to an injured player. He’s an asshole who couldn’t even be arsed to find out the man’s name before “apologizing.”
Then the officiating crew had to be fucking TOLD this was an ejectable offense? Fuck those fuckers too.
I know it’s a meme for Lion’s fans to complain that the refs are out there to fuck us over, especially in Lambeau, but come on, first the blown call when Swift took the forearm to the face, but God forbid you have to eject a Packer player when he assaults a defenseless trainer without being told to do so by the league.
I agree. I’m sure Packer management couldn’t over emphasize upon him the magnitude of his transgression. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone was already formulating his apologies while he was still on his way to the locker room.
Yeah this was screwed up from the start. I am glad they finally got the call right though. 10 years ago, there would be no communication with the “League Refs”, and it would have just been unsportsman like conduct. I used to love football, playing (just high school) and watching, but the players have no consideration for the opponents anymore. It’s all about show boating and look at me, and if someone gets in your way, screw them, just push them around.
In addition to his behavior being condemned on social media, it’s probable that his penalty helped the Packers lose the game - didn’t they get the ball moved to inside the 5 yard line after the ejection/penalty? The Lions went ahead and scored right after that to take the lead for good, and to end the Packers’ season, at home in Lambeau. I guess that’s some sort of justice.
Ok, to be fair, he did not punch the guy, but when that staff from the Lions sort-of grabbed his arm and pushed him out of the way, he gave that guy a double-handed shove in the back.
When a 240-pound linebacker two-handed shoves you in the back, it is, in fact “essentially a sucker punch.” I didn’t say he punched him. It’s a strike against someone who’s not looking.
Two more points:
there was a another Packer who was trying to intimidate the medic.
the medic looked like he was ready to throw down with both of them.
Yeah, Devonte Wyatt. He walked over to the trainer and bumped him and confronted him. He needs to be disciplined too.
No. I know what a sucker punch is. I guess there are differing views of what “essentially” means.
ETA: I hope this is Rogers’ last game and his final taste of his playing days was the Lions shoving his condescending words back into his smug face on Lambeau Field while he watched his team unravel into an early off-season.
That medic was going to go after his defenseless teammate, who only had pads, a helmet and is a 6’4" 240lb NFL linebacker. Someone had to protect Quay.
It was first-and-ten at the 11 when they ran the play when Swift got hurt; that play netted two yards. So it was second-and-8 at the 9 when the flag was thrown. The penalty on Walker made it first-and-goal just inside the five. Made the TD a lot easier.
I’m torn on this. I was ready to call Walker an absolute idiot who can’t control his temper, and fuck the guy. But then I watched the video of him crying as he walked down the tunnel, and read a little more of his history (he had one of the lowest Wonderlic scores and many teams were concerned about drafting him for that among other reasons).
We joke about “this guy needs serious help,” but I think it’s really true in this case. The guy has problems and he’s evidently not getting what he needs from the Packers.
I don’t know where that leaves me. I fully endorse the pitting, but I admit I almost felt a little sorry for him when I read comments about the giant baby who cries like a toddler. He deserves all the vitriol aimed his way, but he also deserves some help.
