JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars center Brandon Linder was still steaming several minutes after Sunday’s 30-24 win over the Seahawks at EverBank Field.
Who could blame him?
"F— y’all," Linder screamed in the direction of Seattle players as he entered the Jacksonville locker room. "Y'all are b—es!"
Linder’s profane outburst stemmed from an altercation spurred by Seattle’s decision to attack Jacksonville’s victory formation. With the game in hand and 54 seconds remaining, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles was in the process of taking a knee when two Seahawks defensive linemen tried crashing into him as a third (Michael Bennett) dove at Linder’s knees.
After Linder wrestled his way up to a standing position, Bennett responded by rolling into his legs trying to knock him back down — a maneuver known to cause lower-leg injuries. Bennett then flopped on top of Linder, leading to a lengthy scrum between the two teams.
WATCH: Seahawks-Jaguars fight
Bennett and Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, who shoved the Seahawks defensive lineman in response to the situation, were penalized for personal fouls. Seattle defensive end Sheldon Richardson also was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected.
"We were playing hard today and a guy grabbed me after the whistle blew," Richardson said. “I was protecting myself and things got a little hot. There was some shoving and I was protecting my teammates. That’s the way it goes."
After Bennett headed to the bench, the Seahawks crashed the victory formation again on the next play and spurred another standoff. This time, Seattle defensive end Quinton Jefferson was penalized and ejected. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll also drew an unsportsmanlike conduct foul for coming to the middle of the field to address his players.
Bennett refused to elaborate afterward, telling Seahawks media, “I don’t have to explain myself.”
Asked by Sporting News what he thought spurred Bennett’s actions, a testy Linder said, “I don’t know. It is what it is. I don’t give a s—. I don’t care.”
Some of Linder’s other teammates had no reservations speaking their mind about an incident certain to draw NFL fines and potential suspensions.
"That’s somebody’s livelihood," said Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis, who was on the field when the melee occurred. “Why try to hurt somebody? We have 60 minutes to handle (the game). In the last 30 seconds you’re going to spear someone in the legs? That’s not cool.”
Bortles said he believed Seattle’s actions stemmed partly from the Seahawks' frustration of losing, and “people aren’t used to getting beat like that by the Jaguars.”
"We just beat the crap out of you for 60 minutes," Bortles said.
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The situation got even harrier when a fan tossed a water bottle at Jefferson as he was leaving the field. Jefferson took off his helmet and approached the stands looking for the perpetrator. When another beverage was thrown at him, Jefferson tried climbing a railing into the crowd to retaliate before being pulled back and restrained by security.
Bortles took a verbal jab at Jefferson’s situation by calling it "a little Ron Artest" action, referring to the former NBA player who famously went into the crowd as part of a 2004 brawl that included fans and players.
"Going into the stands probably isn’t too smart," Bortles said.
Neither is risking suspension with the Seahawks (8-5) fighting for a playoff spot with three games remaining in the regular season.
Alex Marvez can be heard from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
