{"id":908601,"date":"2026-09-25T02:38:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T02:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/908601\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T02:38:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T02:38:49","slug":"i-get-it-mathieu-betts-understands-davis-alexanders-anger-over-controversial-tackle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/908601\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I get it’: Mathieu Betts understands Davis Alexander’s anger over controversial tackle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto courtesy: Steven Chang\/B.C. Lions<\/p>\n

Mathieu Betts wasn\u2019t surprised that Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander took issue with a tackle he made late in the second quarter of B.C.\u2019s Week 15 win over Montreal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand. It was ruled on the field as roughing on the quarterback; I\u2019m not sure of the terminology. It was a horse collar. I get it,\u201d the Lions\u2019 defensive end told the media this week, speaking for the first time since the incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was reviewed as a roughing on the quarterback, and I understand that my hand was on his nameplate. I was honestly trying to make a play for the ball, and not sure if it was a strip fumble or an incomplete pass or anything like that, but it was called a horse collar at the end of the day, and I was penalized. That\u2019s what I\u2019ll say about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Alexander took greater issue with how the tackle finished, as Betts appeared to bend his arm awkwardly and\u00a0maintain his grip long after the two had gone to the ground. After the game, the star pivot described the play as \u201chorsesh*t\u201d to 3DownNation<\/a>, while Alouettes\u2019 head coach Jason Maas said it was \u201cnot right\u201d and suggested that such \u201cextracurricular\u201d plays had no place in football.<\/p>\n

Betts acknowledged that there may have been some gamesmanship on his part, but does not believe he crossed the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do want to play hard as much as possible, and you never want to put anybody in a compromising situation or position. But at the end of the day, it is a contact sport,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom my perspective, it\u2019s a football play where, if the ball is loose and you\u2019re going and you have a chance to go for the ball, it sucks, but as a player, you kind of have to do it on defence. If you have an opportunity to create a turnover, you take it, and that\u2019s all I was trying to do at that point in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tensions were already high between Betts and Alexander stemming from a trash-talking incident the week prior<\/a>, and the Canadian pass rusher appeared to get an earful after the tackle. Alexander repeatedly attempted to get in the defender\u2019s face while the play was reviewed, and the two teams had to be separated.<\/p>\n

Defensive back Ronald Kent Jr. later described the QB\u2019s words towards Betts as a \u201clot of mother-effers,\u201d but the 31-year-old claimed that he can\u2019t recall what was said in the heat of battle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pretty much one-sided, I\u2019ll say that. It\u2019s hard for me to comment, just because I\u2019m not really sure what he was trying to say or not to say,\u201d Betts said. \u201cIt was definitely nothing very out of the box. It was nothing that I\u2019ll remember. I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ll be able to say that it was something that was actually flagrant that I\u2019ll be able to remember or quote. Just can\u2019t remember much about what he was saying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betts was eventually ejected from the game late in the fourth quarter following an interaction with offensive lineman Cyrille Hogan-Saindon, which earned him a second misconduct penalty. However, neither incident was serious enough to warrant supplemental discipline from the CFL. That was not the case for Alexander, who was fined for his role in a sideline brawl in the third quarter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That altercation, which resulted in suspensions for Kent Jr. and Montreal defensive back Don Callis<\/a>, and later revelations regarding punches thrown by B.C. defensive back Josh Hagerty, which seriously injured Montreal running back Liam Talbot<\/a> and led to a two-game suspension<\/a>, have largely overshadowed Alexander\u2019s ongoing feud with Betts.<\/p>\n

However, as one of the Lions\u2019 veteran leaders, the two-time Most Outstanding Defensive Player has still had to deal with plenty of fallout this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard. We do care about (Hagerty) a lot, and I think he understands that the whole thing that\u2019s going on is regrettable on that point. Our prayers are mainly for the Montreal player who got hurt, but we still want to support him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been somebody who\u2019s been working hard to get where he is at right now, and he is regretful for what happened, and I think as a team, it\u2019s important that he knows that we\u2019re not just letting him down or forgetting about him because he understands what happened and he\u2019s regretful for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A bye week has given the Lions a chance to cool off after their chippy clash with the Alouettes, and Betts knows that discipline will need to be at the forefront against Saskatchewan this week \u2014 especially with the team short-handed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always put it as the utmost important thing, just because football-wise, that\u2019s how you win or lose games,\u201d he said. \u201cFor us, when we talk about discipline, it\u2019s in your assignments and also taking penalties. You don\u2019t want to give away free yards. If we want to go where we want to go at the end of the year, that\u2019s something that\u2019s going to be really, really important in all matters, in all phases.\u201d<\/p>\n

The B.C. Lions (7-6) will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-5) on Friday, September 25, with kickoff scheduled for 10:30 p.m. EDT. Both teams were on bye this past week.<\/p>\n

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 620 CKRM in Regina or 730 CKNW (English) or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league’s Global initiative.<\/p>\n

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