Panthers cornerback Josh Norman was hoping for a new contract this offseason, and he will likely draw considerable interest if he hits the free agent market next spring.
But he might be making an unplanned donation, after admitting to some dirty play last week against the Jaguars.
Via Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review, Norman admitted to poking Jaguars receiver Allen Hurns in the eye in a pile last week. It all happened after Norman took a page from new teammate Charles Tillman and punched the ball out, and during the scramble for the ball, Norman apparently got inside Hurns’ facemask.
Asked what happened underneath all those bodies, Norman confessed to poking Hurns in the eye.
“I can’t even describe it to you. It was like being in the doghole, trying to get out of there. Fight, fight, fight. Trying to grab the ball, digging in folks’ eyes and everything; eye-gouging. I think Hurns didn’t like that too well. He was pushing and I went somewhere else and I had to understand it was the game and can’t go out there like that.”
It’s amazing that Hurns might take exception to having an opponent digging in his eyes. Some people are just too sensitive.
Norman followed up by going on WFNZ in Charlotte this morning and admitting it again, saying he was hoping to make Hurns turn loose of the ball by inserting his fingers into his eye sockets. While it might have been effective, it’s also rather unsportsmanlike.
And at a time when the league is going out of its way to create the appearance of being interested in on-field conduct, it’ll be interesting to see if they come down hard on Norman, even though his act went unnoticed on the field.