The brutal hit Kiko Alonso put on Joe Flacco Thursday night was decried by many, but Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase is predictably sticking up for his guy.
Gase, speaking to media Friday, said he didn’t think Alonso “was trying to do anything maliciously.”
“Kiko — he’s in a tough spot,” Gase said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “It’s not like a true slide that you normally see. He’s kind of half in, half out. So it’s a tough play to tell a guy what to do. If he just completely stays away from [Flacco] and he keeps running and gets the first down, we all say, ‘What are you doing? Finish the play.’”
Of course, Alonso agrees with this version of events. He told reporters Friday morning that there was “no way” he could have avoided the hit.
That’s highly debatable, based on replays. And there’s still a chance Alonso could be facing a suspension, if not a fine, from the league for his hit.
Thankfully the Baltimore Ravens quarterback told people close to him that he is feeling a bit better on Friday. After the hit, he immediately waved the medical staff over to him, which knocked his helmet off. Flacco was diagnosed with a concussion and would not return to the game.