New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick stayed quiet when asked for his opinion on Mac Jones' controversial low block on Eli Apple after the quarterback was branded a "dirty player".
Jones, who is still fighting for his spot as starting quarterback at Gillette Stadium, put his body on the line late in the game to stop Apple while the Cincinnati Bengals were on the charge towards the end zone after intercepting a throw. Many considered the block to be too low, however, as Jones threw his body to the floor to stop Apple.
The Bengals quarterback later hit out at Jones, stating he felt the quarterback was a "dirty player". He said: "“He tripped me. I thought it was a dirty play. He’s done that before, I’ve seen it.”
Jones will likely face a punishment from the NFL for his actions, with reports suggesting he could be slapped with a $11,139 fine for his block, which will be the second fine of the month for the quarterback.
The NFL rules state that after a possession change, all blocks below the waist are a violation. Jones' dive to the floor therefore broke that rule. Belichick was in no mood to discuss Apple's allegations against his quarterback, however, when he was asked at his pre-game press conference on Wednesday.
The typically-quiet head coach said: "I'll leave it to the officials to officiate the game. Doesn't really matter what I think." When asked about Apple's claim that Jones is a "dirty" player, he simply replied: "You'd have to talk to those guys about that. I don't know."
Jones himself spoke after the Christmas Eve game and insisted he didn't go down with the intention of hurting Apple, and seemed to declare he felt he didn't break the rules.
He said: "“Obviously, I went down in front of him to kind of get in the way, to stop him from slowing down Tyquan, who obviously could make the tackle there.
“Just kind of went down in front of him and tried to stop a fast guy from getting to another fast guy. Just a split-second decision, and there’s a lot that goes into it. You’re out there trying to compete, and it’s a physical game, so just trying to help the team win. I have all the respect for Eli and the Bengals. They played a great game.
"There’s no hard feelings and definitely no intention to hurt anybody on that play, nor do I believe that when I’m playing quarterback that’s what [the defense is trying to do]. I get hit a lot, too. We’re all out there playing hard, and it’s just part of the game.”
