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BIZZARE: Former Clemson star ejected before NFL team even takes a snap
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- BIZZARE: Former Clemson star ejected before NFL team even takes a snap
Imagine being an NFL player taking a trip to London. You hit a pub, grab some fish and chips. Great day, right? Then game time arrives. You enter a new stadium with a completely different atmosphere and line up for the opening kickoff. The ball is kicked, the adrenaline takes over, and you get tangled up with an opposing player near midfield. The returner races into the end zone. You are still fighting. Officials have to pull you apart, and your game is over before either defense has taken the field.
For Jeremiah Trotter Jr., that last part became reality Sunday. The former Clemson linebacker and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. were ejected following the opening kickoff in London. Only 13 seconds had come off the game clock.
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Initially, I thought Trotter's ejection was soft. The early broadcast replays gave viewers very little to work with because the camera followed Josh Cameron's 90-yard return into the end zone. From those angles, I thought a 15-yard penalty would have been enough.
Then I saw the fan footage from Eagles fan @DutchJawn on X relayed to a bigger audience by Barstool Philly.
That angle shows Trotter and Thomas locked up around each other's head and neck, with Trotter throwing Thomas to the ground like brothers scuffling over an argument. Officials eventually have to step in and separate them.
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Their contact begins during the kickoff, and they are still going at each other well after Cameron has reached the end zone. By then, the ball is nowhere near them. They have kept their own fight going while the rest of the play has already ended.
That is why I think Trotter deserved to be ejected. Once Cameron is in the end zone, Trotter has no football reason to keep wrestling with Thomas at midfield. The officials end up having to stop it for him. Watching that sequence, I can't argue for letting him stay in the game. Thomas also appears to kick back toward Trotter from the ground. I understand ending his evening as well.
The frustrating part for Philadelphia and Clemson fans is what Trotter gave up. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, he was expected to make his second start of the season after recording 15 tackles against the Los Angeles Rams the previous week. He had a chance to follow that performance with another full afternoon on defense. Instead, his day ended on special teams before he played a defensive snap.
Jacksonville's apparent touchdown was erased by separate penalties during the return. Philadelphia was called for illegal formation, and Jaguars linebacker Branson Combs was flagged for holding. The teams repeated the opening kickoff with 14:47 remaining in the first quarter.
Funny enough, this was not even the earliest ejection in his family. Jeremiah Trotter Sr. was thrown out before Philadelphia's 2005 season opener against Atlanta following a fight during pregame warmups. Junior at least made it through 13 seconds.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: BIZZARE: Former Clemson star ejected before NFL team even takes a snap
