ESPN announcer Joe Buck admits he feels ‘sick’ at an apparent curse from the commentator after calling Monday’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL.
Despite reducing a 24-point deficit to 10, Buck urged Bucs head coach Todd Bowles to accept the loss and take some of his star players out of the game to protect them. The Bucs were starting their final drive at their own 25-yard line and with no timeouts and 1:34 left, the game was over.
“I know it’s a 10-point game and I know you don’t give up on games, but at some point you want to get out of here and live to fight another day,” Buck said.
Moments later, wide receiver Chris Godwin went down with a nasty dislocated ankle injury after a tackle by Roquan Smith that is now under review for being a hip-drop tackle. Godwin has since undergone surgery and his season is all but over, while ESPN decided not to show the gruesome replay. The Bucs lost 41-31.
“You feel a little bad about what happened,” Buck told him. The Athletic. ‘I’d rather be wrong.
Chris Godwin’s dislocated ankle will likely rule him out for the rest of the NFL season
Godwin was injured after a tackle by Roquan Smith in the Bucs’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens
Joe Buck (left) warned the Bucs about leaving their stars on the field moments before the injury
‘I would prefer nothing had happened. Not that anyone is different from anyone else, but Godwin is one of the great guys in the league.
When Godwin went down, Buck said live on air: ‘Oh, no. He can’t get up. From our production truck they told me that we are not going to show the replay.
Godwin’s injury compounded a bad night for the Bucs, who lost another wide receiver in Mike Evans early in the game to a hamstring issue. Evans is expected to be out until after his Week 11 bye.
Speaking Monday after the game, Bowles defended his decision to keep Godwin on the field.
“He’s a player and we’re trying to win the game,” Bowles said. “We were down by 10, so we were still trying to score points and kick another onside kick, and it just happened.”
‘With Mike (Evans) going down, we didn’t have as many receivers, so we played with what we had.
“It’s unfortunate that he (Godwin) got hurt and we feel bad about that. But he’s a football player and he wanted to be in the game just like Baker (Mayfield, the quarterback) and everyone else wanted to be in the game. the game.”
The cart had to be removed after the 28-year-old’s left ankle became trapped under Baltimore linebacker Smith at the end of a 21-yard reception.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield praised Godwin’s ‘unbelievable’ moments after injury
Godwin was crawling around the field after Smith was hit, and medical staff put a cast on his foot once he climbed into the back of the cart.
Mayfield paid tribute to Godwin after the game, saying, “He’s an incredible guy, an incredible teammate.” Obviously you guys have seen that he’s been playing extraordinarily well this year. My heart is heavy right now.’
The Bucs, 4-3 on the season, face the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
