A matchup between Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green and Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey was sure to be fierce, with both players among the best at their respective positions. But right before halftime of their Week 9 contest, tempers flared between the two competitors.
With 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Green stopped running his route as the play finished and pushed Ramsey. Or, depending on how you look at it, Green stuck his hand out at Ramsey to stop himself. Ramsey apparently didn’t appreciate it — though we don’t know if Green said anything as the play came to an end — and showed Green to the turf. The Bengals receiver jumped back and wrapped his arms around Ramsey in a chokehold, pulled him to the ground and threw two punches.
Here’s one video clip of the incident:
A.J. Green fight against Jalen Ramsey. pic.twitter.com/LWLA326SCl
— Grumpy Middle-aged Sports Fan (Josh Kirkendall) (@Josh_Kirkendall) November 5, 2017
As you would expect with Green throwing punches, he was ejected from the game. Ramsey was also ejected, perhaps because he instigated the fight or he did nothing to calm the situation down.
Maybe the Bengals’ star receiver was frustrated at being held to only one catch for six yards before he was thrown out of the game. Or he got some ideas from watching UFC 217 Saturday night. That looked like Georges St-Pierre taking down Michael Bisping.
Green losing his temper certainly seems to be an indication of how tightly Ramsey was playing him. However, Ramsey seemed to overreact by shoving Green to the ground. What isn’t clear from the video is whether the whistle had blown on the play before the shove. If so, that could’ve been a personal foul and unnecessary roughness penalty on Ramsey. But that became an afterthought after Green turned the scuffle into a MMA match.
The Jaguars won the game, 23-7.
Update: Ramsey apparently tried to get to Green in the Bengals’ locker room after the game::
An Everbank official just said after leaving the field, Jalen Ramsey tried to get to AJ Green in the Visitors' LR. JSO had to get him away
— Marcel Robinson (@MarcelASJax) November 5, 2017
