Drake London made the biggest play of his NFL career on Monday night, catching the game-winning touchdown in the Atlanta Falcons' Week 2 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. First he put his hands on his helmet as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. Then as he was lifted up by a teammate, he put his arms out like he was on the bow of the Titanic.
Then he threw in another celebration as he was headed back to the bench and pretended to shoot a gun into the air right in front of a referee. That drew an automatic flag and pushed back the game-winnning extra point.
London immediately knew what he had done wrong and when Scott Van Pelt asked him about it on SportsCenter after the game, he simply chose not to say what he did. When Raheem Morris addressed the media on Tuesday the coach defended his young player and tried to explain the celebration away as something silly.
#Falcons HC Raheem Morris on Drake London’s gun celebration that was flagged:
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) September 17, 2024
“Drake is a great kid. His intent was not as a use of a weapon. He probably was shooting t-shirts into the stands, to be honest with you, because he’s just that kind of a guy.” pic.twitter.com/qFWFK9SfKn
"Initially I didn't see it," said Morris. "You know, I guess it was the use of a weapon, how people interpreted that as a fine, as a penalty. Drake is a great kid. His intent was not as a use of a weapon. He probably was shooting t-shirts into the stands, to be honest with you, because he’s just that kind of a guy, but he was excited. He got excited. He's one of those guys that plays with great energy. He immediately apologized on sight before I even got a chance to correct him."
That is incredibly creative, but no one could possibly believe that. Good for Morris trying to stick up for his player though. No matter how far-fetched his explanation might be. And as long as no one does it again.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Raheem Morris Had a Rather Amusing Explanation For Drake London's Gun Celebration.
