Rookie defensive lineman Frank Clark of the Seattle Seahawks is being accused of attacking San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers while he was under a pile during Saturday’s preseason game. Chargers offensive lineman King Dunlap was actually flagged 15 yards for unnecessary roughness for trying to pull Clark from the pile.
“That guy was on top of Philip, and that’s our quarterback,” Dunlap told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I protect the quarterback at all costs.”
On the play that the alleged incident followed, Rivers was sacked by Seattle defensive tackle Jordan Hill, but Clark allegedly kept going after Rivers. Chargers offensive lineman D.J. Fluker also told the newspaper that his teammates will “protect the jewel [Rivers]” of their offense.
Clark has been accused of acts of violence before. The Seahawks took some public scrutiny for never interviewing witnesses from Clark’s alleged domestic assault of his ex-girlfriend when he was 20 years old. They drafted him out of Michigan in the second round of this year’s draft.
The Seahawks reportedly only talked to Clark himself regarding the incident — one of the witnesses the organization never interviewed told police that Clark “grabbed her by the throat, picked her up off the ground and slammed her to the ground while also landing on top of her.” Clark plead guilty to a persistent disorderly conduct charge as part of a plea deal for the case two weeks before the draft. The organization claimed it investigated the matter thoroughly.
[Via: ESPN/San Diego Union-Tribune]
