Jamie Collins was forced to hit the showers early Sunday at Ford Field.
Collins was ejected in the second quarter of his Lions debut against the Bears. The first-year Detroit linebacker, while trying to demonstrate how Chicago running back David Montgomery was lowering his helmet, made contact with referee Alex Kemp, who wasted no time giving Collins the boot.
Of course, NFL players have been ejected from games for much worse. Still, Lions head coach Matt Patricia believes Collins knows better than to violate a rule with a zero-tolerance policy.
“Look, I think the bottom line is there are rules in place for a reason and it’s to protect everybody that’s out on the field, including the officials,” Patricia said Monday, per The Detroit News. “Everybody knows that. Whether it’s an honest mistake or not, you just can’t do that. That’s the bottom line.
“Jamie, he understands that. He knows that. He just was trying to demonstrate, more so than do anything aggressive. It was more, ‘Hey, this is what’s going on.’ Unfortunately, got too close. It’s not OK. We know that. We can’t afford to lose a great player at the beginning game. It’s a hard lesson for everybody to learn, but it’s another reminder about those situation. …You can’t touch an official. It is what it is.”
Collins will try to play a full four quarters for the first time with the Lions this Sunday when Detroit visits the Green Bay Packers.
Thumbnail photo via Raj Mehta/USA TODAY Sports Images
