Jaguars coach Doug Pederson defends his team's reaction to illegal hit on QB Trevor Lawrence

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Jaguars coach Doug Pederson defends his team's reaction to illegal hit on QB Trevor Lawrence

2024-12-05 05:25 Last Updated At：05:31

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson has no problem with how his team reacted to the illegal hit on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was placed on injured reserve.

Pederson said he was “a little surprised” that Houston coach DeMeco Ryans blamed Jacksonville’s sideline for escalating the brawl and seemed puzzled that some former Jaguars players questioned whether the team did enough to respond.

“I don’t know what that means,” Pederson said Wednesday. “We’re not out to hurt anybody. We’re not out to ruin careers. We’re out to win a football game and play hard within the rules. That’s our job. That’s how we coach it, that’s how we play it.

“If they’re asking or suggesting we go after someone, we’re not doing that. Flat out, we are not doing that. It’s not how I coach. It’s not how I’m going to coach these teams, these players. We’re just going to go out and do our jobs. Play hard, play fast, play physical within the rules.”

Former Jaguars cornerback Bucky Brooks, the team’s current sideline reporter, called the team’s response “a collective shrug” in a post on X.

“Most teams would’ve enacted some form of vigilante justice to ensure that kind of hit didn’t happen again,” Brooks wrote. “Now, every future opponent knows they can take shots without fear of retaliation.”

Former Jaguars defensive lineman Austen Lane took issue with players suggesting they didn’t do more for fear of getting ejected and fined.

“At the end of the day, when one of your own gets taken out like that, I think there’s some teams in the NFL that have pride — whether they’re in playoff contention or they haven’t won a game yet — they’ll try to make it right,” Lane said during his daily show on Action Sports Jax.

Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended by the NFL without pay for three games for repeated violations of player safety rules following the hit to Lawrence’s head, which caused the quarterback's second concussion in less than a year.

Al-Shaair led with his forearm and helmet while hitting Lawrence after he started his slide. The unsportsmanlike blow left Lawrence in the fencing position — a common response to a traumatic brain injury in which both fists clench — and he stayed on the ground for several minutes while a melee ensued nearby. Lawrence remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol and was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, likely ending his season.

“I told him, ‘You have a daughter; you have a blessing that’s coming. So get right, take care of yourself, take care of your family, and we’ll be here holding it down and waiting til’ you get back next year,” running back Travis Etienne said.

Etienne and other teammates attacked Al-Shaair near the sideline, with tight ends Evan Engram and Brenton Strange leading the charge. Rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones was ejected for throwing a punch.

“I would be naïve to say I didn’t really do nothing,” Jones said Wednesday, still awaiting a fine from the league office. “One of the biggest things I regret about it is getting ejected from the game and not being there for my teammates. But as far as the whole thing went, that’s my brother. I’d do the same thing for all 70 guys or however many make up the Jags organization.”

The Jaguars (2-10) trailed 6-3 at halftime and were down 23-6 before mustering a late rally that came up short. Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said the ultimate response would have been winning for Lawrence.

“We didn’t do enough," he said. "We ended up losing the game. We lost.”

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French lawmakers vote to oust prime minister in the first successful no-confidence vote since 1962

2024-12-05 05:29 Last Updated At：05:31

PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined together Wednesday in a historic no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes that forces Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet members to resign, a first since 1962.

The National Assembly approved the motion by 331 votes. A minimum of 288 were needed.

President Emmanuel Macron insisted he will serve the rest of his term until 2027. However, he will need to appoint a new prime minister for the second time after July’s legislative elections led to a deeply divided parliament.

Macron will address the French on Thursday evening, his office said, without providing details. Barnier is expected to formally resign by then.

A conservative appointed in September, Barnier becomes the shortest-serving prime minister in France’s modern Republic.

“I can tell you that it will remain an honor for me to have served France and the French with dignity,” Barnier said in his final speech before the vote.

“This no-confidence motion… will make everything more serious and more difficult. That’s what I’m sure of,” he said.

Wednesday's crucial vote rose from fierce opposition to Barnier's proposed budget.

The National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, is deeply fractured, with no single party holding a majority. It comprises three major blocs: Macron’s centrist allies, the left-wing coalition New Popular Front, and the far-right National Rally. Both opposition blocs, typically at odds, are uniting against Barnier, accusing him of imposing austerity measures and failing to address citizens’ needs.

Speaking on TF1 television after the vote, National Rally leader Marine Le Pen said “we had a choice to make, and our choice is to protect the French” from a “toxic” budget.

Le Pen also accused Macron of being “largely responsible for the current situation,” adding that “the pressure on the President of the Republic will get stronger and stronger.”

Speaking at the National Assembly ahead of the vote, hard-left lawmaker Eric Coquerel had called on the government to “stop pretending the lights will go out,” noting the possibility of an emergency law to levy taxes from Jan. 1, based on this year’s rules.

“The special law will prevent a shutdown. It will allow us to get through the end of the year by delaying the budget by a few weeks,” Coquerel said.

Macron must appoint a new prime minister, but the fragmented parliament remains unchanged. No new legislative elections can be held until at least July, creating a potential stalemate for policymakers.

Macron said discussions about him potentially resigning were “make-believe politics” during a trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this week, according to French media reports.

“I’m here because I’ve been elected twice by the French people,” Macron said. He was also reported as saying: “We must not scare people with such things. We have a strong economy.”

While France is not at risk of a U.S.-style government shutdown, political instability could spook financial markets.

France is under pressure from the European Union to reduce its colossal debt. The country’s deficit is estimated to reach 6% of gross domestic product this year and analysts say it could rise to 7% next year without drastic adjustments. The political instability could push up French interest rates, digging the debt even further.

Carsten Brzeski, global chief of macro at ING Bank, said uncertainty over France’s future government and finances is deterring investment and growth. “The impact of France not having a government would clearly be negative for the growth of France and hence the Eurozone,” Brzeski said.

France has seen bond market borrowing costs rise, bringing back ugly memories of the Greek debt crisis and default in 2010-2012.

Analysts say France is far from a similar crisis because much of its outstanding debt does not come due for years, and because its bonds remain in demand due to a shortage of German government bonds. Additionally, the European Central Bank could intervene to lower French borrowing costs in case of extreme market turmoil, though the bar for that remains high.

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AP Journalist David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, contributed to the story.