Mac Jones: I got hit hard, thought Brian Burns had…

USA TODAY Sports

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones offered his first comments on a play in Sunday’s game that Panthers linebacker Haason Reddick called “completely dirty.”

After Jones was stripped of the ball on a sack by Panthers defensive end Brian Burns, he grabbed Burns’ ankle and held it as Burns tried to pursue the ball. Jones rolled over as Burns tried to shake loose and the defensive player was twisted down to the ground while the play wrapped up far away from the two men. Burns left the game briefly and eventually left for good with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

During an appearance on WEEI, Jones said that he thought Burns had the ball and he was trying to make a tackle.

“After I got hit pretty hard, I didn’t really know exactly what was going on. I thought he had the ball and it was my job to try and make the tackle. That was pretty much it,” Jones said, via Michael Hurley of WBZ. “And you know, obviously when you get up and you see the ball is actually down the field a little bit more . . . it was just a bang-bang play and I didn’t mean to hurt anybody or anything like that. I was just trying to tackle him and make the play. Because you know, I didn’t really know what was going on.”

No penalty was called on the play, but Jones can be fined by the league if they feel his conduct is worthy of discipline.