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Katherine Terrell, ESPN Workers Author
METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen defended his gamers after the Philadelphia Eagles accused the staff of soiled play within the Eagles’ 15-12 win on Sunday.
“I would say our guys play extraordinarily exhausting and we will compete till the down is over,” Allen mentioned Monday. “I do not suppose we play soiled. I do not suppose we ever have performed soiled. It isn’t the way in which we coach it, not the way in which we train it, however we do play exhausting. Look, no person needs to see anyone get harm, no person’s making an attempt to harm anyone and sadly that is a part of the enterprise that we’re in. No, we do not play soiled. We do not coach soiled, however we do play exhausting and we do play bodily.”
Saints defensive finish Payton Turner and rookie defensive deal with Khristian Boyd have been each accused of soiled play after Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith was positioned into concussion protocol and didn’t return.
Eagles security C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who the Saints traded to the Eagles in 2022, mentioned Boyd took an inexpensive shot on Smith.
“Man, that is the dirtiest s— I ever noticed in soccer, bro,” Gardner-Johnson mentioned after the sport. “Y’all clearly noticed ahead development was stopped. For them to take an inexpensive shot on one in every of our key gamers, it goes to point out what kind of staff that’s. They’re front-runners.”
Smith was being introduced down by two Saints defenders after a 5-yard catch within the fourth quarter when Boyd got here in from the opposite aspect and hit him excessive as he was going backwards, inflicting his helmet to fall off. Smith was positioned into concussion protocol and left the sport, and Boyd was not flagged for the play.
Turner was accused of spitting on Smith whereas Smith laid on the bottom after a put up went viral on X.
“Y’all reaching I would not ever do sum like that,” Turner wrote in response to the post.
Boyd mentioned that he would by no means intentionally trigger an damage in a now-deleted story on his Instagram account.
“Simply making an attempt to make a play on the ball,” Boyd wrote. “Get effectively quickly 6.”
Saints proper deal with Trevor Penning was additionally flagged for pointless roughness throughout this sport for blocking cornerback Darius Slay Jr. into the sideline bench. It was Penning’s second pointless roughness penalty this season.
Slay left the sport with an damage however later mentioned on X that he was OK.
“We will not have that,” Allen mentioned. “You have to have some consciousness of the place you are at on the sphere. That might’ve been a extremely expensive penalty. I like the aggressiveness, however on the similar time, we won’t harm the staff.”
Saints defensive backs Tyrann Mathieu and Marshon Lattimore exchanged phrases with Eagles defensive deal with Jalen Carter close to the Eagles sideline within the ultimate minute. Carter was directed away by members of the Eagles teaching workers.
“Clearly man, it is an intense sport. … And feelings get excessive,” Mathieu mentioned after the sport. “Clearly it was a one-point sport for some time there. I believe defensively, clearly we wish to defend our residence subject. However clearly, me and Lat, we should always by no means go to these guys sidelines. We’ll be taught from that. It occurs to all of us the place feelings sort of get the most effective of us. Did not hear a lot from these guys all sport till they went up on the finish. Simply be wanting ahead to taking part in towards these guys once more hopefully.”
