Matt Slauson threw the cut block that ended Brian Cushing's season. The New York Jets guard has been surprised by the fallout.
"I don't know why this is a big deal," Slauson said Wednesday, via the New York Daily News. "I feel bad Cushing got hurt."
"I wasn't trying to hurt him, obviously," Slauson added, according to The Associated Press. "I must have just caught him by surprise, but unfortunately, things like that happen."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The AP that the league is investigating the block, which came Monday night during the second quarter of the Houston Texans' 23-17 win. Cushing, a linebacker voted the Texans' MVP last season, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
"I feel like it was a clean block," Slauson told The AP. "I've been told by my coaches it was a clean block, so I would be surprised (if I'm fined). I hope I don't. But, if I do, I'll just deal with it."
Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, Cushing's college teammate at USC, tweeted during the game that the injury shows a double standard in the NFL. Players on offense have received increased protection under the rulebook. The same cannot be said on the defensive side.
We're inclined to agree with Matthews on the legality of this type of block. Cushing never had a chance to protect himself. It's hard to understand how that play can be legal. And yet it is ... maybe.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.