A day after he kicked defensive tackle Brian Price out of a game for a committing a personal foul, a decidedly more tranquil Raheem Morris discussed his thought process behind the decision.
"Price is somebody I expect so much from because he's probably the best D-lineman we have," the Buccaneers coach said during his Monday media session. "We cannot make those type of mistakes and he has to be an example-setter. I kind of forced him into a leadership role, probably more than he's ready for at this point. But it's got to start with somebody, and it's got to start with probably your best football player, and he's definitely in the light."
Morris also apologized for using an expletive during his Sunday press conference, citing his frustration after Tampa Bay's ugly 38-19 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Though it remains unexplained what Price did to earn the 15-yard penalty, it was enough for Morris to decide he needed to act.
"We can't make those mistakes. We cannot do those things, and he knows," Morris said. "I didn't even have to talk to him, I just had to look at him."
Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Monday that Morris did "the right thing" in booting Price.
"There's a dignity to this game," Rivera said, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Easy with the dignity talk, Ron. Your players were involved with the scuffle, too.
