Matt LaFleur reacts to Packers center vomiting on ball: 'First time I've heard that'

Matt LaFleur has seen a lot during his five-plus seasons as the Green Bay Packers head coach, but he admitted he was caught off-guard by Malik Willis' explanation of a third down from the team's 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

LaFleur was curious why Willis tried to scramble for a first down on a third-and-10 with 5:15 remaining in the second quarter. The Packers had a passing play called, but Willis bailed out of it immediately and gained just three yards before he was brought down.

Willis revealed his decision was prompted by the pre-snap actions of center Josh Myers.

"I asked Malik why he didn't throw the ball on that third down, and he told me that Josh threw up on the ball," LaFleur told reporters after the game. "I was like, 'That's the first time that I've ever heard that.'"

Myers did, in fact, hurl before the snap. He said after the game that he felt like something was caught in his throat, and that caused him to vomit.

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"I don't know if it's just from the electrolyte drinks that we drink and stuff, but something was caught in my throat when I was breathing that hard," Myers told Ryan Wood. "I bent over and, I just, I don't know. I threw up."

Willis wasn't the only one to notice Myers had gotten sick. Referee Shawn Hochuli also checked in with LaFleur after seeing the center upchuck before the play.

"Shawn came over to me and said, 'You know, we saw your center throwing up on the ball. Do you want us to take him out next time?'" LaFleur detailed. "I said, 'Absolutely. Please do that.'"

It's not often that coaches want their players to be removed from plays, but LaFleur had a good reason to want Myers on the sideline in that scenario.

"I mean, you're talking about a critical situation, and it's third down," LaFleur explained. "I've never had a throw with vomit on a football, so I don't know, [but] I don't think – Malik probably didn't appreciate that."

That Willis couldn't throw the ball on third down didn't ultimately matter. The Packers forced the Colts to punt on their ensuing possession and maintained a 10-0 lead entering halftime.

Nonetheless, Myers barfing on the ball figures to be one of the lasting memories from Willis' first win as the Packers starter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matt LaFleur reacts to Packers center puking on ball before snap