During Thursday Night Football, both the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills lost their quarterbacks. Browns signal-caller Brian Hoyer injured his right knee in the first quarter after being hit on an awkward slide, while the Bills lost their rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel thanks to a hard hit on the sidelines by Browns safety Tashaun Gipson.
After the game, Gipson talked about the hit and wanted to make sure that it was clear he is not a dirty player.
Gipson says that there was no malicious intent during the hit, but that he was just doing his job and showing no mercy to Manuel just because he was a quarterback.
“I showed no mercy,” Gipson said, via the Willoughby News-Herald. “I’m not a dirty player. I didn’t try to hurt him intentionally, but it’s a physical sport. Our quarterback took a shot. Their quarterback took a shot. That’s the way it is.”
It was Manuel’s decision to stay in bounds and take the hit, so he has no one to blame but himself.
“First and foremost, it’s the game of football,” Gipson added to ESPN. “Things like that happen. I definitely don’t intentionally try to hurt anybody. I wouldn’t dare do that. I’m not that kind of player. It’s the game of football. Our QB took a shot. Their QB took a shot. Not to say that we were trying to go one for one, but it’s the game of football.
“He’s running around on the sidelines. He could have gotten out of bounds. He didn’t. So it’s my job to bring the ball carrier down.”
Manuel was unable to finish the game and he was taken to the locker room for further evaluation. He will also undergo an MRI today.
The initial diagnosis for Manuel is a sprained knee, so Bills fans can breathe a sigh of relief as it looks like their starting quarterback was able to avoid a serious knee injury.
As for Brian Hoyer, the Browns fear he suffered a torn ligament.