Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota could be out for weeks with a sprained MCL he suffered from a low hit during the team's Week 6 loss to the Miami Dolphins at the Nissan Stadium last Sunday.
Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt called the tackle from Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon "B.S. football", also saying that "it was done with the idea of trying to hurt our quarterback," as per the league's official website.
It was in the second quarter of Tennessee's 38-10 defeat to Miami when Vernon sneaked in at the back of Mariota and charging him quite low after a pass, making the 21-year-old drop down on the ground and miss the play next to it.
The tackle was awful-looking to say the least, which is why it is not surprising that coach Whisenhunt was fuming about it.
"Marcus Mariota had an MRI. He has a sprained MCL. But he's walking around fine. We'll see how it goes this week," the 53-year-old coach said through social media later in the week, as reported by CBS Sports. "We need to see how Mariota progresses this week. We aren't going to do anything to put him into any kind of jeopardy."
If ever the former Oregon standout could gut it out on Sunday versus the Atlanta Falcons, his movement and agility will still be severely compromised and it's clear that Whisenhunt would be wise enough to know that.
Mariota disclosed that Vernon said sorry to him after the game while the latter also told the media that what he did was unintentional and he is not a "dirty player".