Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Donald Penn gave Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen a bloody nose late in the third quarter of the Bucs' 36-17 victory on "Thursday Night Football."
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Though Penn admits he was looking for some attention, he doesn't accept blame for what happened next: Allen blew right past Penn on the following play, sacking Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman. Penn chalked that up to luck, according to The Tampa Bay Times.
"He got a lucky one on me," Penn said. "That's all right. Stuff like that happens. I got bumped by the 3-technique. And I told him that was a lucky one, too. But that happens. I'd rather take a victory than a shutout anyway."
Both players received unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties for the skirmish, which took place after a play when Penn continued to block Allen after the whistle. And both downplayed the brawl in postgame interviews, saying it just resulted from passionate play.
"That's what I do," Penn said. "I play to the whistle. It got a little chippy. That's football. We shook hands after the game like we're supposed to, and we have mutual respect for each other. That's the game."
That respect didn't stop Penn from discrediting Allen's sack, however.
"I have tremendous respect for the guy," Penn said. "He's a great player. A great one. But he still got a lucky sack on me. It should've been a shutout."