The Seattle Seahawks got their season off on the wrong foot on Sunday after suffering a Week 1 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams, 30-13. This is after Seattle was shut out in the entire second half, with their defense also allowing LA to score 23 points in the final two periods.
The game did not end without incident, though, and it was DK Metcalf who was involved in yet another contentious moment on the field.
Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf Claims Innocence
With the game virtually out of hand in the fourth quarter, Metcalf was penalized for taunting after getting into it with a few players and coaches on the opposing team. The Rams took exception to the Seahawks wide receiver delivering what some folks might consider a “dirty” hit on LA defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon:
This was a Dirty, dirty move by DK Metcalf.
Way away from the play aswell, the defender stayed down for awhile.pic.twitter.com/GfKhtaEAus
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 10, 2023
Metcalf wasn’t sanctioned for his blindsit shove on Witherspoon, but the Rams were clearly displeased with the 25-year-old’s antics. Metcalf himself would not back down, and he was eventually issued a taunting penalty.
In his post-game press conference, the Pro Bowl wide receiver was asked to share his side of the story. According to Metcalf’s statement, it appears that the Seattle star does not believe he did anything wrong:
“Well, I was blocking,” Metcalf said, via Myles Simmons of PFT. “I guess I blocked him a little too hard and pushed him to the ground and he got up mad because he felt like I blocked him in the back.
“But I mean, that’s just how I play. I block every play when I don’t have the ball and I’m never taking a play off or jogging, trying to take a play off. So that’s what transpired.”
It’s just that Witherspoon didn’t get back up immediately. The Rams DB had to be attended to by the team’s medical staff, and he was eventually pulled from the game after the play.
Metcalf also spoke about the taunting penalty. According to the former Oxford standout, it was LA’s coaching staff that started the brouhaha:
“I saw their coaches yelling at me or saying something to me and their players,” he said. “And I let that get to me and I retaliated. The second man always gets called. So, just got to be better in that aspect.”
It would not be a complete surprise if the NFL reviews this film and ends up slapping DK Metcalf with some sort of retroactive penalty. Let’s stay tuned.
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