In the 2020 NFC Wild Card Playoff Game between the Eagles and Seahawks, about halfway through the first quarter, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz scrambled for some yards. He dove forward, in the process of being tackled by Seahawks safety Bradley McDougald. He then absorbed a helmet-to-helmet hit from Clowney on his way down. The result of the hit caused his head to hit the ground hard, resulting in a concussion, and Wentz was unable to return to the game. This hit by Clowney was reckless and borderline unnecessary, but it was not dirty. Clowney was not intending to hurt Wentz on that play, but unfortunately he did.
The reason I am saying this is because I have seen on social media NFL and Eagles fans calling Jadeveon's hit dirty, saying he should be banned from the league, suspended, charged with assault, etc. I have seen many comments saying "F*** Jadeveon Clowney" that get hundreds if not thousands of upvotes. He does not deserve all of this ridicule. I will admit I believe he deserves to be fined for being reckless and laying a borderline unnecessary hit on Wentz. The hit was only borderline unnecessary because Wentz was lunging forward, and Clowney was trying to prevent him from gaining additional yardage. In the NFL, every inch matters. But Wentz was on his way down and close to the ground when he got hit. Clowney definitely could have given him more of a glancing blow and not such a direct hit to the head/neck area.
When we watched this real time, it did not look so bad. The commentators did not comment on the hit, and the first instance we saw of Wentz possibly being hurt was when he headed to the locker room. Then, they showed the hit in slow-motion, and we saw how bad it looked in slow-mo. But live and in real time, it didn't look that bad. I've seen those kinds of hits on quarterbacks called for unnecessary roughness but also not called at all, and when a quarterback isn't giving himself up (sliding), they often don't get called. When a quarterback acts like a runner (like any running back, wide receiver, etc.), they lose some of their protection from the referees. I do think a penalty should have been called because it was helmet-to-helmet contact (and he was on his way down), but I have seen just as bad of hits not called.
I think the main reason for the anger on the part of Eagles and NFL fans is that Carson Wentz' playoff debut was cut short. I mean, I'm upset too. I wish the Hawks could have beaten the Eagles with Wentz playing all game. He is still one of the best young talents in the NFL at the quarterback position, but due to injuries, he did not make his postseason debut until this game. And not even all the way through the first quarter, and he suffers another injury, one that was caused by another player's reckless action. I understand their anger, their need to blame someone, but I would not be cursing out another player if that happened to Russell Wilson. I would not be saying he deserves to be banned or arrested. I know a part of me would've wished Wilson had protected himself better and perhaps slid instead of diving head first. NFL Football is a very rough and violent sport, and players put their bodies on the line each and every week. NFL defensive players are commended for big hits and stopping players short of the goal line or line to gain, so in essence they are paid to deliver big hits.
Call me naive, but I believe a player when they say they weren't trying to hurt another player. As I said, the NFL is a violent sport, and these guys are technically paid to hurt each other. But I believe Clowney when he said he wasn't trying to injure anybody. He said it was a bang-bang play, which it was. You see a guy going for yards, and as a defensive player, your instinct is to get him stopped as quickly as possible. Let's not forget that when these guys are interpreted as trying to hurt another player maliciously, they get fined tons of money and suspended many games, costing them game checks. Why would a player taint his career to try to give his team an advantage by hurting another player? It just isn't worth it.
I also hate to hear how fans are wishing for us to get clobbered in the next game or our players to get hurt (including Wilson). One player's split-second decision to be a little reckless should not make people feel this way. And we live in a sad world where his split-second decision has resulted in him expecting death threats. It's a game, people. He was trying to make a play. Don't hold malicious feelings toward someone that wasn't malicious to begin with. Clowney will get a nice fine from the NFL, and it will go to a good cause, but he does not deserve a suspension or anything worse.
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