Latest news with #XavierLegette
New York Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Xavier Legette learns a lesson, WR competition heats up: Panthers takeaways
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Xavier Legette used boxing workouts during the offseason to improve his cardio, then put that training into practical use Friday night against the Cleveland Browns. Legette, the Carolina Panthers' second-year wide receiver, was ejected in the first half of the preseason opener after throwing punches at defensive back Rayshawn Jenkins, who responded by ripping Legette's helmet off after the two locked up on a running play. Jenkins also was disqualified. Advertisement Legette took to social media to apologize to fans a short time later, and addressed the incident with the media for the first time Monday. 'It was just something that I shouldn't have done, and that ain't supposed to happen in a football game,' Legette said. 'So I felt like I owed the fans an apology.' Legette didn't really explain what triggered the fight, which led to the first ejection of his football career. He's expecting to be fined for his actions, which he said would serve as a deterrent the next time he's in a situation where tempers are flaring. 'I won't put a finger up,' he said. Xavier Legette says he felt like he owed the fans an apology after being ejected vs the Browns. — Joe Person (@josephperson) August 11, 2025 Legette caught several passes during Monday's full-pads practice, which Panthers coach Dave Canales jokingly attributed to Legette having fresh legs. Kidding aside, Canales said he was glad to see Legette bounce back from his DQ. 'We had a great conversation afterwards. He knows. He wasn't defensive about it. He was like, 'I've gotta be better,'' Canales said. 'Kind of just moved on, and he was ready to work today.' The Athletic looks at three more observations from their padded practice Monday: After Legette was tossed Friday, Jalen Coker stepped in and produced with a couple of nice catches — one for a 5-yard touchdown and a one-handed grab that was nullified by penalty, erasing a 34-yard gain. Coker pulled down a few more Bryce Young passes Monday, which didn't come as much surprise to Legette. 'He ain't stepping up, he been doing that,' Legette said of Coker, who had a strong rookie season after signing as an undrafted free agent. 'He's a very good player.' Legette and Coker are part of a deeper receiving room this year. The Panthers drafted Tetairoa McMillan (first round) and Jimmy Horn (sixth) and signed Hunter Renfrow, the former Clemson and Las Vegas Raiders receiver who was out of the league last year dealing with ulcerative colitis. Renfrow returned to practice Monday after missing two weeks with a hamstring issue, and looked to be moving well. Advertisement Throw in offseason pickup Brycen Tremayne, who had two nice catches Monday, and the Panthers will have tough decisions to make with the last one or two receiver spots. 'We got a whole lot of competition in there. I don't know how they're gonna do it or how it's gonna play out,' Legette said. 'But everybody in that room's a good player.' Added Canales: 'It's a very competitive room. And I'm excited to see as we continue to have these preseason opportunities, see the guys we can count on.' Toward the end of practice, the offensive line — one of the team's strengths — was missing several starters. Pro Bowl guard Robert Hunt sat out the last team drill after twisting his right ankle. Right tackle Taylor Moton also seemed to be shaken up, but was able to return. The line is already missing starting left guard Damien Lewis (shoulder) and reserve guard Chandler Zavala (knee). Canales didn't have much of an update on Hunt, but noted he was 'walking around' at the end of practice. Among other injured players, Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn remains out after requiring stitches in his left hand after last week's car accident. Horn's injury was the result of his airbags deploying, according to Canales. Canales was noncommittal on Horn's availability for the joint practice with the Houston Texans on Thursday. 'We have a couple of days to see if we can bandage that up,' he said. 'Because I know Jaycee would love to be out there at the practice and compete against other guys.' It wasn't all bad on the injury front: Defensive end Derrick Brown, another Pro Bowler, practiced for the first time since the first week of training camp. Brown, who missed the final 16 games last year after knee surgery, has been recovering from a rib/oblique issue. Edge rusher Pat Jones was glad to have Brown back. 'He's a great player. So just his presence alone out there, you can feel the difference,' Jones said. 'You can feel the energy, the physicality on the line. It's just great having him back out there with us.' The Panthers don't have many competitions for starting spots this summer. And one they did have has already been decided. Canales said veteran Austin Corbett will be the center after beating out Cade Mays. The coach thought it was important to name a starter before the practice and preseason game at Houston so Corbett could start getting more reps with Young. Advertisement 'I thought Cade did a fantastic job orchestrating the group when he was out there, getting his snaps off on time, moving people in the run game, anchoring in the pass,' Canales said. 'It was a really close competition. Corbett just brings a level of leadership that edged him out.' Corbett started 17 games at right guard in 2022 during his first year in Charlotte, but was limited to nine games the past two seasons due to injury. After Corbett sustained a season-ending biceps tear in Week 5 last year, Brady Christensen initially replaced him at center before Mays started eight of the final nine games. Mays will move into a backup role at guard and center. (Top photo of Legette: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Fox News
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Panthers' Xavier Legette, Browns' Rayshawn Jenkins ejected after exchanging blows during preseason matchup
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette started off his sophomore campaign with an ejection after he got into a physical brawl during the team's preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns on Friday night. Legette, the Panthers' first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was ejected alongside Browns safety Rayshawn Jenkins with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter after exchanging blows on the field. This brawl happened after Jenkins appeared to continue to block Legette long after the play ended. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Legette landed several punches while Jenkins managed to pull off his helmet during the altercation. Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters after the game that Legette had been doing what he was supposed to during the play, but added that both players deserved a disqualification after getting physical. "We ask our receivers to play with hands on – he was. He had his hands on the guy the whole time, through the echo of the whistle. The guy swung and chopped his arms down, and Xavier just kind of held on to his jersey. "Then they started exchanging punches – you can't do that. Neither side. Both guys got ejected, rightly so," he continued. "We can't have that as a part of our game. It's a physical game … tempers are gonna get hot, but as soon as you throw a punch all of a sudden we're at a disadvantage. So, we want to see better from X for sure." Legette apologized to fans after the game in a post on X. "Panthers nation I apologize It want happen again," his post read. "i appreCiate youu all." The Panthers kick off their season on the road against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 8.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
NFL preseason game erupts into wild fight as two players are tossed and one has his helmet ripped off
NFL preseason games are not supposed to be heated affairs. It's a chance for young players to get the feel for the league or to win roster spots. Yet, in the first quarter of a game between the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers, tensions boiled over. On the Panthers' second offensive drive, Carolina second-year receiver Xavier Legette and Browns nine-year veteran Rayshawn Jenkins started throwing hands in the middle of the game. The two tussled for quite some time before their teammates ran over and broke up the altercation. Penalty flags flew from officials and, after some discussion, both players were ejected from the game. After the game ended, Legette addressed the brawl on social media. Nah Xavier Legette was really out there throwing HAYMAKERS 💀 — FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) August 8, 2025 The pair fought for some time before their teammates came in and broke things up. Both players were ejected for their actions. 'Panthers nation I apologize It want [sic] happen again [exclamation mark emojis] i appreCiate youu all,' the receiver posted. The game was well attended as it served as the debut of Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Sanders, the quarterback who took a surprise fall down the draft board, overcame early jitters to toss two touchdowns and lead the Browns to a 30-10 victory. Shedeur, the son of Deion Sanders, completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards before being replaced in the third quarter.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Panthers' Xavier Legette, Browns' Rayshawn Jenkins ejected for fight
August 9 - Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette didn't figure to be in for a long night in his team's first preseason game on Friday night. Turns out it was much shorter than anticipated. The Panthers' second-year player was ejected midway through the first quarter of his team's opener with the Cleveland Browns in Charlotte, N.C., after trading punches with Browns safety Rayshawn Jenkins following a play. Jenkins was also ejected following their altercation. Video showed Legette, 24, throw multiple punches at the head of Jenkins -- both players were wearing helmets at the time. Jenkins appeared to throw one punch in retaliation before Legette fell to his knees and wrapped Jenkins' legs. Jenkins tore Legette's helmet off as Legette went to the ground; Jenkins never went down. The altercation happened with seven minutes to go in the first quarter following a run for no gain by Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard. Later, Legette posted a message on X to Panthers fans: "Panthers nation I apologize It (won't) happen again!!!! I appreciate you all." Selected out of South Carolina with final pick in the first round in 2024, Legette played in 16 games with 13 starts as a rookie, grabbing 49 balls for 497 yards and four touchdowns. Jenkins, 31, signed with the Browns as a free agent in May. He played last season for the Seattle Seahawks after spending the previous three with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers, who selected Jenkins in the fourth round in 2017. In 122 career games (89 starts), Jenkins has 10 interceptions and 517 tackles. He did not record an interception with the Seahawks last season but did return a fumble 102 yards for a touchdown and tallied two sacks -- the first multi-sack season of his career. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers' Xavier Legette, Browns' Rayshawn Jenkins ejected for fighting during 1st quarter of preseason opener
Friday's matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers got a bit spicier than usually seen in an NFL preseason opener. Roughly midway through the first quarter, Panthers receiver Xavier Legette and Browns safety Rayshawn Jenkins continued to tussle after the whistle blew following a run for no gain by Carolina's Chuba Hubbard. Legette kept blocking Jenkins low, with his arms wrapped around the safety's legs as he pushed forward. Jenkins then retaliated by shoving Legette to the turf with his forearm, ripping off the receiver's helmet as teammate Myles Harden stepped in to break up the scuffle. Panthers tackle Ikem Ekwonu came over to push Harden away from Legette. According to reporters on the scene and those who saw replays of the incident, Legette appeared to throw a punch — more than one, actually — during the skirmish. Both he and Jenkins were ejected from the game. The Panthers and Browns participated in joint practices earlier in the week leading up to Friday's game, so it's certainly possible that the incident had roots in previous confrontations between the two players as tensions developed. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski didn't appear happy with Jenkins for getting ejected, engaging in a spirited discussion with the nine-year veteran before he went to the locker room. Stefanski may have been more upset by the Panthers finishing off that possession with a touchdown on a five-yard pass from Bryce Young to Jalen Coker. Carolina went 73 yards in nine plays on the drive. After the offsetting penalties on Legette and Jenkins, Young completed 3-of-5 passes, connecting for 13 yards with rookie Tetairoa McMillan and 10 yards to Adam Thielen. Legette recorded no receptions and Jenkins registered zero tackles before they were both ejected from the game.
