Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was ejected Sunday and the NFL has informed coach Ron Rivera that the decision was the incorrect one.
According to ESPN, the league contacted Rivera and said that the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year should not have been ejected for his interaction with back judge Steve Freeman.
Freeman attempted to get Kuechly off of a pile late in the third quarter, but the linebacker thought the ref was a Packer player and swung his arms in an attempt to get the referee off his back.
Kuechly spoke about the incident and said he didn't know it was a referee on his back.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't know who was grabbing me,'' he said after the game. "I was trying to get out of there a little bit. You've just got to stay calm in those situations and just walk away and let it take care of itself.’'
Rivera wasn't as cool headed when he addressed the situation on Monday.
"I disagreed with it,'' Rivera said. "I disagreed with the explanation I was given. I looked at the tape and I felt the tape agreed with what I felt.’'
This was Kuechly’s first ejection since being drafted in 2012 and the NFL has said they will not fine the Boston College product for the incident. Kuechly was drafted No. 9 overall by the Panthers in 2012 and has been considered one of the best linebackers in football ever since.
[ESPN]
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