FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Two days after Drake London scored the go-ahead landing on “Monday Evening Soccer” and celebrated by pantomiming capturing a gun into the air, the Atlanta Falcons broad receiver mentioned he wasn’t happy with the way it all went down.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a 7-yard landing go to London with 34 seconds left Monday in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles. The rating put the Falcons even, 21-21, on the street in Philadelphia.
London, after his first MNF landing, mentioned he bought a bit of carried away within the second. The Falcons had been flagged for a 15-yard penalty, and kicker Younghoe Koo needed to kick a 48-yard further level to provide the workforce the lead, which they held on to for a significant, 22-21 early-season victory.
Editor’s Picks
2 Associated
“It is a pattern round soccer proper now to do this sort of celebration,” London instructed ESPN. “It was my first ‘Monday Evening Soccer’ sport. I form of misplaced myself in there. I wasn’t pleased with the place I put my workforce in.”
On high of that, London mentioned he regretted the celebration due to the gun reference. The Falcons hosted the Apalachee (Georgia) Excessive Faculty soccer workforce at their apply facility final week, simply days after the deadly capturing there. The college is about 25 miles from Falcons headquarters.
“There’s a number of stuff going round on this planet with gun violence that I do not assume I ought to have displayed there,” London mentioned. “So, I am not too pleased with it, and [you] most likely will not see that once more from me.”
Falcons coach Raheem Morris mentioned London apologized for the scenario after the sport. He mentioned the workforce is “delicate,” given the local weather within the nation, particularly close to dwelling.
The Drake transfer “was a celebration that you do not need to have occur due to the violence that goes on in our nation that we’re very delicate of,” Morris mentioned. “However he had no ailing will and no intent. And that is a mistake by all of us, on all of our components, to have these issues come out in gentle of what is going on on in our nation, and never being delicate to these conditions that we positively are. We hosted the varsity that had the violence right here, and we’re actually delicate about all of these issues and the way these issues occur for us. And we do care.
“And that was simply Drake having enjoyable together with his fan base and his folks up within the stands, and you do not actually take into consideration these issues in the meanwhile.”
The Falcons wore Apalachee Excessive Faculty T-shirts throughout warmups earlier than their Week 1 sport in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Some gamers had been nonetheless sporting them Wednesday within the locker room.
“Our sport is a factor that helps carry this stuff again and make issues higher,” Morris mentioned. “So, you definitely do not need to shine the sunshine or something that is going [on] like that, although you did not have the intent. And I do know that none of us had the intent. I do know for certain Drake didn’t.”
