Malik Cunningham, Bill Belichick React To Gnarly Facemask Penalty

FOXBORO, Mass. — There are facemask penalties, and then there’s the one Malik Cunningham experienced Thursday night.

The Patriots quarterback/receiver scrambled for 6 yards late in his impressive, touchdown-scoring drive against the Houston Texans. At the end of the play, Cunningham had his helmet ripped off by Texans cornerback Jacobi Francis, who was assessed a 15-yard penalty. It was one of the gnarlier facemask penalties you’ll ever see.

Take a look:

After New England’s preseason loss, Cunningham was asked whether his helmet ever had been removed in such a violent fashion.

“Not ripped off, but it came off before,” Cunningham said.

“But that was crazy, though,” he added with a laugh.

Patriots players and coaches reportedly have taken a liking to Cunningham, who went undrafted and has played both receiver and quarterback this summer. One of the reasons: The Louisville product is viewed as a hard-working, hard-nosed football player.

“Yeah, I think Malik’s a tough kid,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said in a Friday morning video call. “He showed that at Louisville, and as a receiver, he’s different than at quarterback. But, he’s had to block, go in and make tough catches in traffic and things like that. No, I think his toughness and competitiveness is good. You saw that in college, and we’ve seen it in the time that he’s been here.”

While the play is easy to laugh about now, it obviously is one that could’ve seen Cunningham suffer a significant injury. He was lucky to leave the game unscathed.

Cunningham and the rest of the Patriots will return to the practice field next week. Whether the 24-year-old will see more work at quarterback or continue to focus on receiver remains to be seen.