New England Patriots wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson was carted off the field on Wednesday afternoon in what was another fight-filled joint practice session with the Carolina Panthers.
Panthers defensive back Kenny Robinson hit Wilkerson on a kickoff and then celebrated with Wilkerson laid out on the field.
The Patriots sideline did not agree with this, including 10-time Pro Bowler Matthew Slater, who voiced his frustrations with what happened after the hit.
Wilkerson was carted to the locker room and was taken for an off-site medical evaluation, per NESN’s Zack Cox. Robinson was ejected from the practice, which was the second time in the last two days.
Following the practice, Slater offered his take on how he viewed Robinson’s actions toward Wilkerson.
“When you see a teammate down on the field — I’ve been around this game for a long time, and I think anybody that plays at this level understands when a guy is out,” the Patriots’ longtime special teams captain said after Wednesday’s practice. “They know what that looks like, and I don’t think that’s the time to celebrate. I really don’t. Look, I don’t have a problem with the hit. I didn’t see it, but I think it was clean, from my understanding.
“But I don’t think we should ever celebrate when someone is down and clearly in a dire situation. I personally take issue with that — any one of my teammates. And I don’t want us doing it on the flip side of that if somebody else is down with clear signs and symptoms of a significant injury. So that was my issue with it, and that’s why I responded strongly the way I did.”
This marks the second day in a row that fights have occurred with these two teams. These chippy sets of practices serve as the lead-up to what could be an explosive preseason game on Friday.
It should be intriguing to see what happens, as the Patriots look to bounce back from their loss to the New York Giants last Thursday. If nothing else, the last couple of days have provided a build-up to the game itself.
The Patriots have one more preseason contest following their game with the Panthers, as they take on the Las Vegas Raiders to finish out the exhibition slate.
