Saints coach is not happy everyone thinks hit on Justin Herbert was dirty

Chris Roling | Oct 28, 2024

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was on the receiving end of what is pretty universally accepted as a dirty hit during his team’s win over the New Orleans Saints. 

But Saints head coach Dennis Allen would disagree that Nathan Shepherd was playing dirty.

"Here's a guy that's trying to wrap the quarterback up,” Allen said, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “He's on the ground, he has no idea if the quarterback has the ball or not. ... There was nothing malicious about that play."

Allen has to stick up for his guys, of course—just like Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has to stick up for his. Like Harbaugh put it in his comments after the game, everyone knew going into this one that Herbert had been dealing with a hurt ankle. 

Maybe Shepherd just truly didn’t know if Herbert still had the ball. But there’s a reason a Chargers offensive lineman tee’d off on him for his actions and more voices are calling for a suspension. 

Like it or not, Allen and the Saints, specifically, don’t get much benefit of the doubt in situations like these given the whole Bountygate thing, either. 

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