New Orleans Saints edge rusher Payton Turner denied spitting on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith while the wideout was laying on the turf Sunday after sustaining a concussion on hit that forced his helmet off his head.
Turner responded Monday morning to a post on X showing video after the play saying, “Y’all reaching I wouldn’t ever do sum like that bless yall.”
It’s another layer to the Eagles’ 15-12 win over the Saints in the Caesars Superdome which possessed contentious moments during and after the game.
Smith took a high shot from Saints defensive tackle Khristian Boyd while he fell backward after a reception in the fourth quarter. The receiver’s helmet came off leading to a scary moment. Teammates gathered around Smith as members of the Eagles’ staff tended to Smith. He left field on his own power. There was no penalty.
Eagles defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who’s known for expressing unabashed opinions and pestering players, deemed it a “cheap shot” and “dirty play” from a player from his former team.
“Man, that’s the dirtiest (expletive) I ever saw in football, bro,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Y’all obviously saw forward progression was stopped. For them to take a cheap shot on one of our key players, it goes to show what type of team that is. They’re front-runners.” He added, “Y’all always talk about Ceedy this, Ceedy this, but let’s talk about how they’re playing dirty on their side.”
Other Eagles players weren’t making similar claims, though, in postgame interviews.
Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, after winning against his former team:
“Listen, we keep receipts. That’s what I told y’all in the locker room. ‘See y’all Sunday.’ I told y’all a couple days before, they got rid of me, I ain’t get rid of them. It’s still in me. It’s still…
— Brooks Kubena (@BKubena) September 22, 2024
In another testy moment near the end of the game, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter rankled the nerves of Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu giving a double thumbs down to Mathieu and cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Carter then took it to the Superdome crowd by mocking fans and approached the stands. Eagles staff, including coach Nick Sirianni held Carter back and moved him back toward the bench.
Jalen Carter was just a little fired up at the end of the game for the @Eagles pic.twitter.com/zgBD1ge7p5
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 22, 2024
“Me and (Lattimore), we should never go to those guys’ sideline. It happens to all of us,” Mathieu said. “Emotions got the best of us. Didn’t really hear from those guys all game until the end. Be looking forward to playing those guys again hopefully.”
Required reading
(Photo: Gus Stark / Getty Images)
