Walker Calls, Apologizes to Lions Team Physician

With Packers players clearing out their lockers on Monday, Quay Walker apologized for his ejection during the season-ending loss to the Lions.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Jan 9, 2023 3:09 PM EST
Original:
Jan 9, 2023

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker said he apologized over the phone to the Detroit Lions physician that he shoved during the fourth quarter on Sunday, an incident that led to his ejection and set up the game-deciding touchdown.

“I reached out to the trainer earlier today, talked to him for a long time, continued to apologize, and just pray that he forgives me,” Walker said on Monday as players cleaned out their lockers and headed home for the offseason. “And also told him to reach out to the team if he can and to the other trainers, as well, just on my [behalf] and just saying that I’m sorry and that’s it.”

Walker also was ejected during the Week 8 game at Buffalo. He’s the first player to be ejected twice in a season since at least 2000, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

“Another rookie mistake,” Walker said, echoing what he posted on Twitter on Monday morning. “Selfish. Just a selfish act of me. Very, just very stupid and dumb. I’ll say immature of me. Once again, made the same mistake twice. I just always seem to overreact at times and I did it again last night.”

Midway through the fourth quarter, defensive tackle Jarran Reed delivered a forearm shot to the head of Lions running back D’Andre Swift. Trainers came onto the field to check on Swift. With two crouched around Swift, T. Sean Lynch, a team physician and orthopedist, arrived on the scene. Walker shoved him in the back; he might have toppled to the ground had he not landed on top of the other trainers.

“To be honest, the split-second, right after I did it, I asked myself, ‘Why did I just do that?’” Walker said. “Because as soon as it happened, I was like, ‘Man, I’m going through this again.’ That was that.”

After the game, coach Matt LaFleur said the ejection was a “reflection of myself and the standards that we set for these players.”

That was the message that Walker took away after meeting with LaFleur and other members of the staff and front office on Monday.

“I apologized to them, as well, because that reflects on them,” Walker said. “It always comes back to the head coach and everything like that. This is a problem I never had, but I done done it twice this year, so it’s something I can’t do and I really understand that and that’s pretty much it. I apologized to them and, of course, I got the correct words from him, what I need to do to avoid those situations.”

Those last three words are critical. Walker can’t undo what was done. After vowing to do better after he was ejected at Buffalo for shoving a practice squad player who wasn’t in uniform, Walker’s latest outburst might have cost the Packers the game and a trip to the playoffs. All he can do is improve. As a first-round pick and the team’s leading tackler, it’s not as if the Packers are going to release him this week. Rather, he’ll be a fixture of Green Bay’s starting defense for years.

Somehow, Walker has to get a better handle on his temper.

“Just got to work on controlling my emotions,” Walker said. “It’s just a fault that I have. I’m human just like everybody else. I make mistakes. This just happens to be one that I made twice. But just got to learn from them. I’m just like everybody else. I just so happen to put a helmet on and play football. But just a fault that I have to work on.

“I just pray God show mercy and have mercy for the ones that have negative things to say about me, but I’m just like everybody else.”

At this point, the emotion started to hit Walker.

“It’s just a fault that I have,” he continued, “and I have to be here every day and try to get better at. That’s all I have to say about that.”

Walker, Reed and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, who intentionally walked into the trainer, all could be in line for league discipline.

“There’s really nothing I can do, to be honest with you, because I made a mistake, I did what I did, and I own up to that,” Walker said. “It’s just something I’ve got to live with. It’s a mistake I made and I just pray that they forgive me and that’s all I can do at this point, and own up to everything and face everything that comes with it. That’s all I can do.”