After the opening kickoff on Sunday morning’s Eagles-Jaguars game in London (a play that was wiped out by offsetting penalties), Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Jaguars defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. were ejected.
Following the 19-17 Jacksonville win, referee Ron Torbert explained the decision to pool reporter Mark Long of the Associated Press.
“They were disqualified for continuous non-football actions after the play was over,” Torbert said.
Torbert said he saw no punches thrown, and that the decision was simply a result of the players engaging in “continuous and non-football actions.”
The officiating crew made the decision on their own, with confirmation by the league office.
The situation will be reviewed for further discipline by the NFL. A suspension becomes less likely because both players missed the entire game, with the exception of a kickoff that didn’t count.
