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In back-to-back games, the Indianapolis Colts have seen a starter knocked out of the contest after being on the wrong side of a devastating hit. In Week 17, it was starting quarterback Nick Foles, who was carted off the field to the locker room for medical evaluation late in the second quarter of their December 1 matchup against the New York Giants.
With under a minute remaining in the first half, rookie pass rusher for the Giants, Kayvon Thibodeaux, got a free run at Foles on a blitz and connected on an enveloping sack.
Thibodeaux caught Foles on his blindside and the quarterback was driven hard into the ground. After the play, Foles was writhing in obvious pain. Right next to him was Thibodeaux who was celebrating the play by doing mock ‘snow angels’ on the snow-less field of Met Life Stadium. For a league that has put such an emphasis on player safety, it was a strange sight to see.
It had been a rocky start for Foles and the Colts offense on the way to their sixth consecutive loss of the season. Once again, the offense struggled, especially in the first half under Foles, only able to muster a single field goal in the first two quarters. Foles was 8-13 for just 81 yards and faced intense pressure from the Giants defense throughout, including throwing for an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Thibodeaux was a standout for the Giants on defense, recording four tackles, two for a loss, and two sacks on Foles, the second being the one that had the Indianapolis quarterback lying on the ground in apparent pain.
After getting evaluated on the field by player personnel, Foles was taken to the sidelines and then off to the locker room. It was later announced by the Colts that Foles would be out for the remainder of the game with a rib injury. On the other side of the field, Thibodeaux was captured by cameras making the “go to sleep” sign with his hands as Foles was being carted off.
NFL Media Reacts to Kayvon Thibodeaux Celebration
As the play unfolded, NFL media members reacted on social media. James Boyd, Colts reporter with The Athletic tweeted his disbelief that Thibodeaux did not know Foles was injured.
Tej Seth, co-hot of the ‘Take the Points’ podcast called Thibodeaux’s celebration ‘unhinged.’
Sports analyst Albert Nyugen of Action Sports called it an ‘awful look.’
NFL fan and podcaster Kyle Bennet called Thibodeaux’s actions ‘disgusting’ and ‘disrespectful.’
Sports reporter Jeff McMenamin wondered if Thibodeaux’s antics would be the end of defensive celebrations altogether.
Players Respond to ‘Horse S***’ Celebration
After the game, Thibodeaux got his chance to share his perspective on the incident when he spoke with reporters in his post-game locker interview.
“When I did realize that he was hurt, that’s when we started getting up. When you’re doing a celebration, you’re not looking to see who’s doing what. But I hope he gets well and I hope he’s all right,” Thibodeaux said to ESPN’s Kimberley Martin.
The Colts seem to have taken it a little more personally. After the game, center Ryan Kelley told JJ Stankevitz of Colts.com what he thought about Thibodeaux’s actions.
“Hopefully his teammates will — maybe one day he’ll learn that injuries happen in this league, you never want to happen to the guy that you’re going against. That’s just horse s***,” Kelly said.
So far, the NFL league office has yet to make any comment on the incident, but in the past two seasons the NFL has cracked down on taunting on the field by NFL players. The league office has set specific parameters of what is, and what is not a legal celebration or what qualifies as taunting. While officials during the game did not think his actions warranted a penalty, one must wonder what league officials thought of Thibodeaux’s celebrations.
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