And the Oscar goes to . . . Cameron Goode, linebacker, Miami Dolphins!
Sunday’s 42-21 loss for the Carolina Panthers featured many must-see moments—from Bryce Young’s fast and furious start to Tyreek Hill going out of his flippin’ mind. But punter Johnny Hekker’s head butt of Goode may have been the best highlight for many . . .
What a flop 😂 pic.twitter.com/5s3tMNKdTo
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) October 15, 2023
Here’s what Hekker said about it after the game:
“It was not a head butt,” he said with a laugh in the locker room. “There was no malintent. It was a moment where I was just walkin’ up and havin’ further conversation with the guy after the play. Got close, maybe got baited a little bit. And he flopped back and fell backwards and took the ref out in the process. The ref took offense to that, threw the flag.
“Put myself in a bad situation. Really, I gotta own that. It was nothing worth pursuing. The play was dead and over. There was no reason to go back after guys. It’s frustration in the moment and you gotta do like when you’re taught like a kid—just walk away. You just gotta walk away.”
Hekker was then asked if he and Goode touched helmets.
“Our face masks barely touched,” he replied. “The guy, I’m not sure if he practices that or how he sold it so well. But, legitimately, there was . . . I barely even noticed our helmets touched. I wish nothing ill against him. It is what it is. I put myself in that situation. I engaged with him in that way. Just embarrassed that I put the team in that kind of situation.”
Week 6 was a pretty eventful outing for Hekker. Along with the “not head-butt” that resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty, the four-time All-Pro boot even got to show off his throwing arm on a fake punt in the first half—albeit an unsuccessful one.
So, unfortunately, the 12th-year veteran was the one ultimately getting faked out on the afternoon.
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