The Green Bay Packers announced on Wednesday that cornerback Jaire Alexander has been placed on the reserve/suspended list for one NFL game for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The move comes after Alexander, despite not being a team captain, injected himself into the coin toss ahead of the Packers’ game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday – and his efforts almost led to a catastrophic disaster for a club fighting to make the playoffs.
In the Packers’ 33-30 road win against the Panthers, Alexander had crashed the coin toss when team captains were at midfield.
After the Packers won the toss, Alexander said Green Bay wanted to be on defense – which is not the same thing as opting to defer.
The referee then had to clarify what Alexander had chosen on behalf of Green Bay. Without the intervention of the referee questioning if Alexander had actually meant he wanted to defer rather than defend, Carolina would have received the football to start both halves
After the game, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that what Alexander did was “a big mistake.”
Meanwhile, Alexander didn’t appear to show any remorse Sunday, telling reporters after the game that he wanted to be out there because he’s from Charlotte.
“The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said in a statement when the suspension was announced Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, Jaire’s actions prior to the game in Carolina led us to take this step. As an organization, we have an expectation that everyone puts the team first,” added Gutekunst.
“While we are disappointed, we had a good conversation with Jaire this morning and fully expect him to learn from this as we move forward together. We look forward to welcoming him back next week as he is a valued member of this team and will continue to be in the future.”
