Patriots Leader Rips Refs For ‘Joke’ Missed Penalty On Demario Douglas Hit

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Giants linebacker Cam Brown was not penalized for the high hit that knocked Demario Douglas out of Sunday’s game.

One of Douglas’ most outspoken Patriots teammates thought that was nonsense.

Safety Jabrill Peppers sounded off on the no-call after New England’s 10-7 loss to New York at MetLife Stadium, calling it “a joke.”

“It’s just crazy,” Peppers said. “They preach all this player safety stuff, but that doesn’t get flagged. But I’ve been fined maybe two or three times for clean hits. So that pissed me off, too. They even looked up at the Jumbotron, and there was still no flag.

“But you can’t say anything about the refs in this league. It is what it is. To me, that’s a joke. You can’t say you care about player safety and not flag that play.”

The hit in question came on a fourth-quarter punt return. Brown clotheslined Douglas, causing the rookie wide receiver’s head to bounce off the artificial turf. Douglas exited the game and did not return.

Several Patriots players, including Peppers, argued for a penalty as the sixth-round rookie received medical attention on the field.

Douglas already missed one game due to a concussion earlier this season, and NFL players rarely return from head injuries the following week. The Liberty product was in good spirits in the locker room after Sunday’s defeat, however, and said he felt “good.”

Douglas is the Patriots’ top passing-game playmaker, and he led all New England players in targets (nine), catches (six) and receiving yards (49) Sunday despite missing the final three drives.

The 2-9 Patriots will host the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday at Gillette Stadium.