The Green Bay Packers suspended cornerback Jaire Alexander for one game on Wednesday after he crashed the captains meeting at midfield on Sunday, almost costing his team a possession in Sunday’s 33-30 won over the Panthers.
“The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly. Unfortunately, Jaire’s actions prior to the game in Carolina led us to take this step,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said in a statement. “As an organization, we have an expectation that everyone puts the team first. While we are disappointed, we had a good conversation with Jaire this morning and fully expect him to learn from this as we move forward together. We look forward to welcoming him back next week as he is a valued member of this team and will continue to be in the future.”
Alexander, who joined the Packers’ three game captains Aaron Jones, Quay Walker and Eric Wilson at midfield, called tails and won the toss.
When referee Alex Kemp asked for his choice, Alexander said the Packers wanted to be on defense, which technically speaking is not the same as choosing to defer. Had Kemp not clarified, it could have cost the Packers a possession, and the Panthers would have received to start both halves.
By rule, the winner of the coin toss can choose to receive, kick off or defer the choice to the second half. With Alexander saying they wanted to be on defense, it could have been interpreted as choosing to kickoff.
It’s possible the only reason Kemp double-checked and asked Alexander if he meant defer was that coach Matt LaFleur makes it a point in the pregame meeting with officials to inform them of their choice should they win the toss.
LaFleur did not sound pleased with Alexander, who was playing for the first time after missing six games with a shoulder injury.
“That was a big mistake,” LaFleur said of Alexander’s call. “That’s something that you review with the guys before they go out there every time about, ‘Hey, we win the toss, we’re going to defer.’ I went to the officials before the game, made sure they knew what we were going to do. We had an incident earlier this year where we had a similar situation, so always trying to be proactive in that approach.”
LaFleur added that he believes Kemp clarified because, “I don’t think they ever want to get that [wrong] .” Alexander didn’t seem to realize his mistake.
Why Alexander went out for the toss at all was a mystery. The Packers don’t have season-long captains, instead having weekly rotations. When asked whether Alexander was added as a game captain by the coaches or by Alexander himself, LaFleur replied: “Yeah.”
Said Alexander: “It’s only suiting. I don’t think Coach knew I was from Charlotte, so …”
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky contributed to this report.