KANSAS CITY, Mo. — First things first. Safety Tony Jefferson said he wished to apologize for his actions after his ejection from the Chargers’ victory Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs, when he made an obscene gesture toward the Arrowhead Stadium crowd. Actually, to be specific, it was two gestures at once.
“I was caught up in the moment,” Jefferson said. “I’m classier than that.”
It was very much a heated moment.
Or two or three, actually.
Jefferson is likely to be fined by the NFL for his gestures.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jefferson knocked Kansas City wide receiver Tyquan Thornton down and out of the game with a ferocious tackle the game officials ruled to be unnecessary roughness, a 15-yard penalty on the Chargers that gave the driving Chiefs a first down at the 15-yard line.
A fracas nearly broke out with the Chiefs barking at Jefferson and Jefferson and the Chargers woofing right back. Cooler heads prevailed, but in the interim, it was determined that Jefferson should be ejected for his tackle. Thornton was then placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Jefferson would later say he hadn’t watched a replay of the tackle, the third in a series of devastating hits that Chargers delivered to Chiefs wide receivers in the second half. His initial belief was that it was a tough but legal hit during a game that featured several tough but legal hits.
“You know, I just kind of blacked out a little bit,” Jefferson said of the play, a 21-yard gain on a third-and-5 pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “But I haven’t seen the play. I don’t really play to be, like, a dirty player, so I always feel like I put myself in position to make the plays and hits that are clean. So, I’ll have to take a look at it. I don’t necessarily think it, personally, it was that bad.”
Coach Jim Harbaugh also said he hadn’t watched a replay, but in live action, while standing on the sideline, his view of it was that it “was a football play.” Harbaugh also said the officials’ decision to eject Jefferson came via a video review of the play from the NFL’s office in New York.
“I was told that was the ruling,” Harbaugh said. “New York saw it as an ejection, and the message (from the sideline) to our team was to keep playing ball. I saw all legal hits. I didn’t see that particular hit (as illegal). Our guys were playing ball and they didn’t let that emotionally hijack us.”
In fact, linebacker Daiyan Henley intercepted Mahomes’ pass intended for running back Kareem Hunt at the 1-yard line moments later, ending the Chiefs’ drive and preserving the Chargers’ 16-13 lead with 12:41 left. Jefferson said Henley and safety Derwin James Jr. had his back after his ejection.
Henley’s and James’ interceptions preserved the Chargers’ victory.
“It’s crazy,” Jefferson said of his teammates’ picks. “They both went up there and made game-changing plays for our defense. It just shows the bond that we have, guys, having each other’s backs. It was good to watch from inside (the locker room), but I wish I was out there.”