Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers exited Saturday's preseason game against the Seahawks after he jammed his finger while making contact with linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis. But that's not the hit that riled up his teammates.
Chargers players accuse Seahawks’ Frank Clark of trying to punch Philip Rivers
Rivers’ teammates say Clark went too far in a pileup after the quarterback was sacked in the second quarter of Saturday’s preseason game.
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Some San Diego players took rookie defensive end Frank Clark to task after the contest, saying he attacked Rivers in the pile after another Seahawks defender had sacked him. According to Rivers' teammates, Clark tried to punch Rivers after Seattle lineman Jordan Hill took him down for a 9-yard loss in the second quarter.
That didn't sit well with star left tackle King Dunlap, who was tagged with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty after he threw Clark out of the pileup.
“That guy was on top of Philip, and that’s our quarterback,” Dunlap said, per the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I protect the quarterback at all costs.”
Right guard D.J. Fluker reiterated Dunlap's comments, and said he thinks it's his duty to stand up for Rivers on the field.
“That’s our quarterback,” Fluker said. “We’re going to protect the jewel of our offense.”
For his part, Clark appeared to express some regret about the way the situation played out.
"Man this game, it’s a lot of emotions is involved," Clark said, per the Seattle Times. "I’m a real emotional player but there are ways you react and ways you don’t react. You’ve got to be smart in this game. That was something Sherm (Richard Sherman) was telling me afterwards, that whole thing, even though I didn’t get called for anything, just to avoid situations like that."
Clark is no stranger to controversy. Last November, he was arrested for domestic violence and dismissed from Michigan’s football team during his senior season. Clark allegedly struck his girlfriend in their hotel room at the Maui Sands Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. He accepted a plea bargain in April, and all serious charges were dismissed. Despite the red flags, the Seahawks selected Clark in the second round of the draft this spring.
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