After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, he signed with the Carolina Panthers to get two shots at revenge against his old team.
Now that seems to have backfired as McCoy’s emotions got the best of him and led to a costly personal foul penalty. After a battle at the line of scrimmage and some late pushing and shoving, McCoy kept hitting center Ryan Jensen in the helmet long after the whistle blew.
The penalty proved to be extremely costly for Carolina’s defense. Tampa Bay quickly took advantage of the free yardage by moving down the field before running back Peyton Barber capped it off with a touchdown run to take a 17-12 lead.
McCoy will generate plenty of excellent production this season and prove to be a strong signing, but this was a rough, emotional moment at a time when Carolina couldn’t afford it.