Browns safety Tashaun Gipson said he didn’t mean to hurt Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel, and he didn’t intend to gloat after the hit.
But he’s not apologizing for it either.
“I showed no mercy,” Gipson told the Willoughby News-Herald. “I’m not a dirty player. I didn’t try to hurt him intentionally, but it’s a physical sport. Our quarterback took a shot. Their quarterback took a shot. That’s the way it is.”
Manuel was running for extra yardage (rather than getting out of bounds), when Gipson came in and hit him directly on the knee.
“First and foremost, it’s the game of football,” Gipson told ESPN.com. “Things like that happen. I definitely don’t intentionally try to hurt anybody. I wouldn’t dare do that. I’m not that kind of player. It’s the game of football. Our QB took a shot. Their QB took a shot. Not to say that we were trying to go one for one, but it’s the game of football.
“He’s running around on the sidelines. He could have gotten out of bounds. He didn’t. So it’s my job to bring the ball carrier down.”
Neither Manuel nor Browns starter Brian Hoyer were able to finish the game.