Fight With Steelers' Darnell Washington Prompted Surprising Confession From Darius Slay

The Pittsburgh Steelers were once again unable to pull off a win against the Philadelphia Eagles in the City of Brotherly Love. Head Coach Mike Tomlin jokingly called it the Pennsylvania State Championship game, but it didn't feel like a high school matchup. That isn't all that surprising since the Eagles have been dealing with tension in their locker room, and the Steelers are still trying to prove themselves. The tension was only fueled by questionable officiating, and none was bigger than the fight between Darius Slay and Darnell Washington. 

During the first quarter, Washington was seen blocking Slay out of the end zone on a run by Najee Harris. That block ultimately took Slay all the way to the stands. In the video, Slay is clearly shown throwing a punch at Washington. A second fight broke out between Steelers' Calvin Austin III and Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Numerous players from both teams jumped in to separate the players. Unbelievably, only two flags were thrown, both on Pittsburgh (one on Washington and one on Austin). Despite throwing the first punch, Slay was not penalized or ejected.

After the game, the official, Alan Eck, was asked about the decision to penalize only one team. He said neither the on-field officials nor those in New York saw any punches thrown by any Eagles players. All of Steeler Nation was disgusted by how they blatantly ignored what could be seen on video and how this impacted the game. 

Slay spoke with the media and defended his actions. He was frustrated that Washington blocked him to the fence and accused him of even worse. 

"Blocking me all the way to the fence when the play was over, too," complained Slay. "I understand they got a job to do, but brother was tripping."

The NFL has continued promoting player safety, attempting to avoid these incidents. So far this year, the league has handed out suspensions and fines, even some ejections. 

Los Angles Rams' Puka Nacua was ejected for punching Seattle Seahawks' Tyrel Dodson during their Week 9 game. Trent Williams from the San Francisco 49ers was ejected for throwing a punch at Kansas City Chiefs' Bryan Cook, even though Cook hit him first. Detroit Lions' Brian Branch was ejected for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Bo Melton from the Green Bay Packers. There have been other instances this season and Slay thought for sure an ejection was coming their way. 

"I thought we'd get some kind of ejections coming in," added Slay. "They let us get a little hockey moment in."

It isn't surprising that Slay believed he would get ejected; the video shows him and Mitchell throwing punches. In other games this season, those actions have resulted in ejections. 

While Slay has a right to be frustrated if Washington tripped him, this isn't hockey, and the league doesn't allow players to solve problems with their fists. Washington had a job to do, and that was to block Slay until he heard the whistle. Perhaps Slay was a bit intimidated by Washington and felt he had to throw a punch to get back at him. After all, Washington does have a good seven inches and nearly 100 pounds on the cornerback.

Steelers Can't Put All The Blame On The Officials

While the errors in officiating are egregious, the Steelers also shot themselves in the foot during that game. Most of their penalties were senseless errors that could have been avoided. 

Quarterback Russell Wilson expressed his frustration after the game. He said while the penalties played a part, the offense also needed to perform better. The Steelers continually got themselves in third and long situations they couldn't play their way out of. 

He said that the Eagles outplayed them and, as a team, need to get "sharper" to be ready to face the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. 

What do you think about Slay's comments? Click to comment below. 

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