By Kevin Patra, Around the NFL writer
The 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.”
LaFleur told reporters on Wednesday that the decision to suspended was not just due to his actions on Sunday.
“I’ll just say this, it’s never one thing,” LaFleur said, per ESPN.com.
LaFleur added:” Tough decision, especially where we are right now (in the season) but there’s standards we’re all held accountable for.”
Alexander didn’t find the situation a big deal at the time.
“I said, ‘I want our defense to be out there,’ and they all looked at me like I was crazy,” Alexander said after the game on Sunday. “I’m like, I mean, it’s pretty simple what I said, like I want the defense to be out there. They like, ‘You mean defer?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I guess.'”
A two-time Pro Bowler, Alexander has played in just six games this season. Sunday was his first contest back after missing the previous six tilts with a shoulder injury.
The 7-8 Packers face division rival Minnesota on Sunday night. Green Bay currently sits with a 26% chance to make the playoffs, per Next Gen Stats. A loss would sink them to 1%, while a win would raise their odds to 56%.