Packers Suspends JAIRE ALEXANDER for CRAZY COIN TOSS SITUATION
3The Green Bay Packers suspended cornerback Jaire Alexander for one game for his pregame coin toss antics ahead of Sunday's win in Carolina.
"The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly. Unfortunately, Jaire's actions prior to the game in Carolina led us to take this step," general manager Brian Gutekunst said in a statement. "As an organization, we have an expectation that everyone puts the team first. While we are disappointed, we had a good conversation with Jaire this morning and fully expect him to learn from this as we move forward together. We look forward to welcoming him back next week as he is a valued member of this team and will continue to be in the future."
The North Carolina native wasn't announced as a game captain but crashed the pregame coin toss on Sunday and nearly cost the Packers a possession. After calling tails and winning the flip, Alexander said the Packers wanted to be on defense. Referee Alex Kemp made Alexander clarify his meaning that the Packers chose to defer. Had the clarification not occurred, Carolina could have received the ball to start both halves.
After the Packers eked out a 33-30-win, head coach Matt LaFleur was not thrilled with Alexander.
"That was a big mistake," LaFleur said via ESPN. "That's something that you review with the guys before they go out there every time about, 'Hey, we win the toss, we're going to defer.' I went to the officials before the game, made sure they knew what we were going to do. We had an incident earlier this year where we had a similar situation, so always trying to be proactive in that approach."