Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is giving his opinion about the boxing technique of one of his teammates. Panthers wideout Xavier Legette was ejected from the team's Friday night preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. Legette got into a fight with Browns defensive back Rayshawn Jenkins.
“I’ll give him some credit. He’s got them mitts,” McMillan said about Legette, per Panthers reporter Sheena Quick.
The Panthers ended up losing to Cleveland, 30-10. Jenkins, like Legette, was thrown out of the contest. The two players got physical downfield during a Panthers running play in the first quarter.
Panthers coach Dave Canales was not pleased with Legette's behavior on the play.
“I was right in front of it,” Canales said, per NFL.com. “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 made note of the altercation after the game. He addressed the situation on his social media.
“Panthers nation I apologize It (won't) happen again…I appreciate you all,” Legette said on X, formerly Twitter.
The Panthers next play the Houston Texans, in another NFL preseason game. That contest is scheduled for August 16. Time will tell if Legette faces any penalty from either the Panthers or the league, due to the ejection.