Early in Washington’s 29-26 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the Commanders lost rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes to an ejection for an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit.
Veteran defensive lineman Jonathan Allen – during his weekly appearance on Monday with 106.7 The Fan's The Sports Junkies, which is presented exclusively by our partners at MainStreet Bank — Cheer Local. Bank Local. Put Our Team in Your Office. – said it is not in his mindset to blame the referees for games or for outcomes, but he had some doubts if that hit merited an ejection.
“I try really hard to stay away from blaming the refs because that’s an easy way out from accepting accountability for me as a player and us as a team can do better, but looking at that play with Emmanuel Forbes, seeing a guy get ejected is something you only see if it’s clearly malicious… a play that does not belong in the game,” Allen told The Sports Junkies.
“And when I looked at the Emmanuel Forbes play, I was really confused, that they just decided to eject him. The whole thing was a little bit confusing to me,” he continued. “I don’t focus on what the refs are doing with calls, but the ejection part was a little bit bizarre to me. I’ve never seen a player getting ejected for that, that’s normally just a 15-yard penalty if you wanna fine him later go ahead, but to eject him for that? That’s something you see in college for targeting not in the NFL. Did not understand that.”
With Forbes being one of the smaller-framed corners in the league, Allen said that the rookie has to put more of himself into hits, but that this was still a football play and not a guy head–hunting, especially when compared to the hit Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson delivered to the head of Commanders tight end Logan Thomas that did not result in an ejection earlier in the season.
“I think it comes down to intent,” he told the Junkies. “I think as a football fan you can watch that play and understand Forbes is trying to make a play. He’s not trying to just go out there and hurt the guy. We all understand when somebody’s doing something that’s dirty. Or when somebody’s doing something just to hurt a guy… if you wanna call that, sure.
“Like, I just didn’t understand that. I just feel so bad for Forbes.”