Panthers head coach Dave Canales addressed the ejection of wide receiver Xavier Legette during the team’s preseason opener against the Browns, which ended in a 30-10 loss for Carolina. Legette and Browns cornerback Rayshawn Mitchell were both ejected in the first quarter after an altercation that began while blocking on a run play.
“I was right in front of it,” Canales said. “We ask our receivers to finish the play with hands on. He had his hands on the guy the whole time through the echo of the whistle. The guy swung and chopped his arms down, and Xavier just kind of held on to his jersey. Then they started exchanging punches. You can’t do that, neither side, both guys got ejected, rightly so. We can’t have that as a part of our game.
“It’s a physical game; can’t handle that, tempers are going to get hot, but as soon as you throw a punch, all of a sudden we’re at a disadvantage. So we want to see better from X for sure.”
Legette was not available for comment after the game but later posted an apology on social media stating it would not happen again.
Canales noted he had not yet spoken directly with Legette about the incident but emphasized his expectation for more discipline moving forward.
The Panthers were penalized six times for 60 yards during the game, matching Cleveland’s six penalties but giving up more yardage.
“So really proud of the play style, but you know, part of our play style is playing smart,” Canales said. “I didn’t feel like we did that. I felt like there was sloppiness, and some of the drives, and we’re looking at first-and-15, we’re looking at some situations like that, so we’ve got to take a look at it and make sure that we’re continuing to coach the technique better in some of those situations.”
