PACKERS SUSPEND TWO-TIME PRO BOWL CB JAIRE ALEXANDER AFTER HE WENT OUT FOR COIN TOSS WITHOUT BEING NAMED CAPTAIN
The Green Bay Packers have suspended All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander for one game over what the organization termed “conduct detrimental to the team,” a statement released on Wednesday confirmed.
Alexander was placed on reserve/suspended list on Wednesday after he went on the field against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and took charge of the Packers’ coin toss despite not being named captain by the team last week.
“The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly,” said Packers GM Brian Gutekunst. “Unfortunately, Jaire’s actions prior to the game in Carolina led us to take this step. 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.”
Alexander’s absence comes at a less than ideal time as the Packers are on the road against division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings this week, meaning Green Bay will play superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson and rookie playmaker Jordan Addison in a must-have game without the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Jaire Alexander signed a four-year, $84 million extension with the Packers last year.
Green Bay did not elect season-long captains this year and have instead been naming three game captains each week, one on special teams, offense and defense. Alexander was not one of the three this week but walked out with running back Aaron Jones and inside linebackers Quay Walker and Eric Wilson anyway.
The former Louisville Cardinal was thus the fourth captain on the field and not only called the coin toss but also won it by calling tails. Alexander ended up almost costing the Packers a possession, however, by telling the referee he wanted Green Bay’s defense on the field instead of electing to “defer” their choice to receive the ball to the second half.
Technically, Alexander was making the Packers’ choice for the first half, to kick, which would have allowed the Panthers to choose what to do for the second half. Had Alexander chosen to kick and put Green Bay’s defense on the field to start the game, Carolina could have just chosen to receive again to start the second half. Luckily for him, the referee in charge of the coin toss knew what Alexander meant and saved him by allowing Green Bay to receive to start the second half.
“That was a big mistake,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said about Alexander’s coin toss botch. “That’s something that you review with the guys before they go out there every time. [We talk] 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.”
Speaking about the toss, Alexander said, “It’s only suiting. I don’t think coach [LaFleur] knew I was from Charlotte. It was like… the guys backed me up, they knew I was from here.”
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur alluded to the fact that Alexander’s suspension on Wednesday was not just strictly because of the coin toss incident but rather an accumulation of a few things. The coin toss incident was the last straw.
“It’s never for one thing,” said LaFleur. “We’ll all learn from it and we’ll all move forward… It’s unfortunate that we’re at that juncture. [We] felt like it was in the best interest long term for our team and for Jaire. Certainly, it was a tough decision, especially kind of where we’re at right now, one we don’t take lightly. But there’s standards that we’re all held accountable for and when they’re not met, unfortunately sometimes you’ve got to take some drastic measures.”
“However, we will get him back and we’re looking forward to get him back. We had a long conversation this morning. I thought it was very productive and I think in the long run, although it’s painful now, I think we’re all going to be better for this moving forward.”
LaFleur also clarified that the decision to suspend the two-time Pro Bowler was his and Gutekunst’s joint decision, not just the General Manager’s. He also said it had nothing to do with Jaire’s inability to play so often this season due to injury. Alexander has played in just six of the Packers 15 games this year, with his availability being hindered by a nagging back injury and a shoulder problem.
Speaking about the potential distractions of Alexanders’ suspension, Packers QB Jordan Love said, “I don’t think any of that is affecting anybody in the locker room. Like I said, I think we all know what’s in front of us going forward, what we’ve got to do to finish the season off, to have a chance to make the playoffs and how that’s important to everyone in the locker room.”
“So I don’t think anyone’s letting any outside noise – things that are going on outside – affect us.”
The 7-8 Packers are currently third in the NFC North, tied with the Vikings who have the head-to-head tiebreaker over them due to their Week 1 loss. As it stands, Green Bay could still make the playoffs and currently have a 27.7 percent chance, but would need to win out with games against Minnesota and the Chicago Bears coming up in the next two weeks.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.