After the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New Orleans Saints 15-12, tensions flared over accusations that the Saints played dirty.
Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson criticized the Saints, calling a hit on DeVonta Smith by Saints’ Khristian Boyd “the dirtiest” he had ever seen in football.
Smith left the game with a concussion, and fans also took issue with Trevor Penning’s block on Darius Slay and Payton Turner allegedly spitting on Smith. Turner denied the claim, and Boyd expressed his well wishes for Smith.
In response, Saints head coach Dennis Allen defended his team, asserting they play hard but not dirty. Allen acknowledged Penning’s penalty but stood by Boyd’s hit, explaining it happened during a play that wasn’t blown dead.
He emphasized that the Saints play until the whistle and do not teach dirty tactics. Allen maintained that the referees were slow to blow the whistle, leading to the unfortunate injury, but Boyd’s actions were not illegal.
