By: Justin Gincauskas
The Green Bay Packers have suspended cornerback Jaire Alexander for their Week 17 game against the Minnesota Vikings. The suspension comes after Alexander went out for the coin toss in Sunday’s game against the Panthers, even though he was not a captain.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst announced Wednesday that Alexander was placed on the reserve/suspended list by the organization for one game.
“The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly. Unfortunately, Jaire’s actions prior to the game in Carolina led us to take this step,” said Gutekunst in a statement. “As an organization, we have an expectation that everyone puts the team first. While we are disappointed, we had a good conversation with Jaire this morning and fully expect him to learn from this as we move forward together. We look forward to welcoming him back next week as he is a valued member of this team and will continue to be in the future.”
Not only did Alexander attend the coin toss uninvited, but he also almost gave up possession at the start of the first and second halves. Instead of deferring, Alexander elected to be on defense. Fortunately for the Packers, the official asked him to clarify, which prevented Green Bay from having to kick off both halves.
Jaire Alexander seemed confused that everyone was making a big deal about the whole coin toss situation.
“I said, ‘I want our defense to be out there,’ and they all looked at me like I was crazy,” Alexander said after the game. “I’m like, I mean, it’s pretty simple what I said, like I want the defense to be out there. They like, ‘You mean defer?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I guess.'”
The Packers currently have a 26% chance of making the playoffs. With a win against the Vikings this weekend, their playoff odds will jump significantly to 55%. However, with a loss, Green Bay will have just a 1% chance of getting into the postseason.
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