Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich apologized Monday for his actions against Indianapolis and vowed to play against the New York Jets despite a strained groin muscle.
Leftwich was caught on camera directing two obscene gestures toward Colts defensive line coach John Teerlinck during the Jaguars' 10-3 loss Sunday.
The incident started when Leftwich told officials they missed a late hit near the Indianapolis bench in the third quarter. Teerlinck rushed to the edge of the sideline and began yelling at Leftwich. The quarterback responded with two obscene gestures that each could result in a $5,000 fine because they were caught on camera.
"I made a mistake. I have to deal with it," Leftwich said. "I hate that I did it because I got caught on TV. But in the heat of battle, sometimes you do things. Maybe a little child was sitting there watching the game and saw that. That's the only bad part of it.
"You've got so many people watching you and looking up to you. But you're just not thinking about that at a time like that. You're in the heat of battle. I didn't start it. Things were said, things were done toward my way. I just returned the favor."
Leftwich said he spent an hour trying to explain his actions to his mother, who left a message on his cell phone during the game. (Emphasis mine.)
"There was no explaining it," he said. "It felt like it was the right thing to do. I just disliked what he said. Everybody knows I wouldn't just do that. There was a reason behind it. Maybe I shouldn't have done it, but there was a reason behind it." (Thanks to SI.com for the heads up.)
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