Falcons receiver Drake London celebrate a touchdown Monday night by pantomiming shooting a weapon. Paul Sancya/Associated Press
In the wake of a touchdown celebration that incurred a potentially costly penalty toward the end of the Atlanta Falcons’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, wide receiver Drake London expressed regrets about having pantomimed firing a weapon into the air.
For one thing, the flag for unsportsmanlike conduct moved a tie-breaking extra point attempt back 15 yards. Atlanta kicker Younghoe Koo was still able to provide the winning margin in the Falcons’ 22-21 victory at Philadelphia, but London and Coach Raheem Morris also pointed out that the celebration unfolded amid a troubling public health issue.
“There’s a lot of stuff going around in the world with gun violence that I don’t think I should have displayed there,” London told ESPN. “So I’m not too happy with it, and (you) probably won’t see that again from me.”
As Morris noted during a regularly scheduled news conference at the Falcons’ facility, the team had just honored the victims of a shooting this month at Atlanta-area Apalachee High School. Four people, including two students and two teachers, were killed and nine were injured.
Before the kickoff of their season-opening home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Falcons held a moment of silence at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and some of their players and coaches wore Apalachee T-shirts during warm-ups. The Falcons then invited Apalachee’s football team to visit their facility and watch practice.
“We hosted the school that had the violence here,” Morris told reporters Wednesday, “and we’re really sensitive about all of those things and how those things happen for us. And we do care.”
Of London’s penalty, Morris said it was “a celebration that you don’t want to have happen, because of the violence that goes on in our country that we’re very sensitive of.”
“But he had no ill will and no intent,” the 48-year-old coach continued, “and that’s a mistake by all of us, on all of our parts, to have those things come out in light of what’s going on in our country.”
PANTHERS: Carolina quarterback Bryce Young said he was surprised to learn from Coach Dave Canales that he’d been benched and accepted blame for the team’s struggles on the field.
“It was not something that I was necessarily expecting,” Young said following Thursday’s practice. “Obviously not something that was great to hear. But I respect Coach Canales and the organization.”
Young is 2-16 as an NFL starter since he arrived in Carolina amid high expectations after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft. The Panthers are 0-2 this season and have not been competitive in either game. They have been outscored 73-13, including 53-3 in the first half, and have scored just one touchdown. Young has not thrown a TD pass in his last four starts dating back to last season.
The 36-year-old Andy Dalton will start on Sunday at Las Vegas.
DAN CAMPBELL
LIONS: Coach Dan Campbell is selling his suburban Detroit home to get more privacy.
“There’s plenty of space, it’s on two acres, the home is beautiful,” Campbell told Crain’s Detroit Business. “It’s just that people figured out where we lived when we lost.”
He didn’t elaborate, but Bloomfield Township police said “harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. We hope that everyone, including fans, will respect the privacy of individuals and their families,” police said.
Campbell and wife Holly listed the 7,800-square-foot house in Bloomfield Hills for $4.5 million this week. A deal was pending within 24 hours, Crain’s reported.
BROWNS: Cleveland rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. pleaded no contest in court to a domestic violence charge, and remains away from the team.
Hall was arrested on Aug. 13 following an alleged altercation with his fiancee at the home they share in Avon, Ohio. The couple argued over finances and she accused him of threatening her with a gun.
The 21-year-old Hall, a second-round pick from Ohio State, had the charge reduced to disorderly conduct in Avon Lake Municipal Court. Hall also received a 30-day suspended jail sentence, $250 fine and was put on probation for two years. Hall remains on the commissioner’s exempt list, based on the initial charge. The NFL is reviewing his case for possible punishment.
