On Sunday afternoon, Carolina Panthers star wide receiver DJ Moore appeared to make the play of the day when he got behind the Atlanta Falcons’ defense for a hail mary touchdown to tie the game with just seconds remaining on the clock. Unfortunately, the celebration was short-lived as Moore immediately cost his team the victory with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after taking off his helmet on the field.
The penalty cost his team 15 yards on the extra point, resulting in Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro missing the following point-after-touchdown attempt from 48 yards, sending the game to overtime. Unfortunately for the Panthers and Moore, the team fell to the Falcons 37-34 in overtime.
After the game, DJ Moore was quite clearly dejected by what happened, as Panthers reporter Joe Person revealed he took some time to reflect on the event after the game.
DJ Moore sat alone on the bench for a minute or two after the end of the game. Then gets up and walks toward the tunnel.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 30, 2022
“DJ Moore sat alone on the bench for a minute or two after the end of the game. Then gets up and walks toward the tunnel,” Person said.
When asked about staying on the bench after game, Moore was pretty blunt.
DJ Moore sat alone for a while on the bench following the game. He says he was thinking, “what would’ve happened if I didn’t take my helmet off.” #Panthers pic.twitter.com/rGxKveRQUI
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) October 30, 2022
“What would have happened if I didn’t take my helmet off, going back to what happened. That was about it,” Moore said in a video shared by Panthers beat reporter Sheena Quick.
Moore owned his actions and clearly feels remorseful. Unfortunately, that’s not going to change the outcome of the game.
