Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander has been suspended by the team for Sunday night’s must-win showdown against Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings.
The decision stems from, but wasn’t limited to, Alexander appointing himself a captain for the Packers’ 33-30 Christmas Eve win at Carolina.
It’s never for one thing,” said coach Matt LaFleur, who made the decision with general manager Brian Gutekunst. “I think there’s a lot of lessons along the way from everybody involved and, hopefully, we learn from them. I think we will. I think there will be probably better communication moving forward.”
Alexander was suspended one game for “conduct detrimental to the team,” the club said in a statement.
The decision to suspend a player is never easy and not one we take lightly,” Gutekunst said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Jaire’s actions prior to the game in Carolina led us to take this step. As an organization, we have an expectation that everyone puts the team first.
While we are disappointed, we had a good conversation with Jaire this morning and fully expect him to learn from this as we move forward together. We look forward to welcoming him back next week as he is a valued member of this team and will continue to be in the future.”
Alexander returned to Green Bay’s lineup at Carolina after missing six games with a shoulder injury. LaFleur didn’t name him one of his three weekly captains. Because the game was being played in his hometown of Charlotte, Alexander felt he should be a captain. So, he made himself one.
I don’t think Coach knew I was from Charlotte,” Alexander said after the game.
Making matters worse, he almost cost the Packers a possession.
When the Packers won the toss, Alexander said the defense wanted to be on the field first rather than saying he wanted to defer the choice to the second half. Fortunately for the Packers, LaFleur had told the officiating crew led by Alex Kemp what he wanted in advance.
I said, ‘I want our defense to be out there,’ and they all looked at me like I was crazy,” Alexander said. “It’s pretty simple what I said. ‘I want the defense to be out there.’ They like, ‘You mean defer?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I guess.’ ”
The suspension means Alexander won’t be on the field for Sunday night’s game at Minnesota. Both teams are 7-8 and need a win to stay in the NFC playoff race.
