Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette and Cleveland Browns safety Rayshawn Jenkins both had short nights in their teams’ Friday preseason opener, as both were ejected following a fight in the first quarter. The two were involved in a pushing and shoving match on a Panthers touchdown drive in the first quarter, which escalated when Legette began throwing punches at Jenkins.
The incident occurred in run support, as Legette blocked Jenkins on a play that wound up being a loss of a yard for running back Chuba Hubbard. After some shoving and apparent jawing between the two with Jenkins chopping Legette’s arms down, Legette began to throw punches at Jenkins, which Jenkins responded to by ripping off Legette’s helmet. After offsetting fouls were assessed to both teams, Legette and Jenkins were both ejected for the remainder of the game and sent to their respective locker rooms.
Shortly afterward, Legette posted an apology to Panthers fans from his X account, saying that it wouldn’t happen again. Following the Panthers’ 30-10 loss to the Browns, coach Dave Canales explained that Legette was finishing his play with hands on — as the Panthers’ receivers are taught to do — but rebuked the punches that his second year receiver began throwing.
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Cameron Salerno
“You can’t do that. Neither side. Both guys got ejected, rightly so,” Canales told reporters. “We can’t have that as a part of our game. It’s a physical game. If you can’t handle that … Tempers are gonna get hot, but as soon as you throw a punch, all of a sudden we’re at a disadvantage. We want to see better from X for sure.”
Legette, the No. 32 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, ended up in the spotlight for the wrong reasons on a night where his new wingman made his presence felt the right way. The Legette-Jenkins fight came just after a big play by Panthers rookie wide receiver and No. 8 overall pick Tetairoa McMillan, who came down with a 30-yard over-the-shoulder catch and ended his night with two receptions for 43 yards, though a drop of a would-be touchdown in the end zone gave him something to work on moving forward.
