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'Completely intentional': Outrage over NFL star's 'dirty' act

Pictured here, New England's Mac Jones grabs the foot of Carolina's Brian Burns.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has been condemned by NFL fans over a "dirty" act in his side's 24-6 win against the Carolina Panthers.

The incident happened late in the first quarter of New England's win when Jones fumbled the football after being sacked by Carolina's Brian Burns.

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Jones then grabbed Burns' ankle and appeared to twist it as his opponent tried to chase after the loose ball.

Burns left the field with an ankle injury shortly after the incident and despite making a return later in the game, he was once again forced off in the fourth quarter with the same injury.

Panthers linebacker Haason Reddick blasted Jones over the incident, calling it a "completely dirty" play after the game.

“I thought it was completely dirty. Hopefully it’s something the league addresses,” an irate Reddick said afterwards.

His view was echoed by many other NFL fans, with Buffalo Bills linebacker Tyrel Dodson calling out Jones for his "unprofessional" actions in a since deleted tweet.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!??! THIS IS WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW!? UNPROFESSIONAL," Dodson wrote in response to a video of the play.

Mac Jones expected to escape suspension

Carolina head coach Matt Rhule said that “maybe a foul should have been called” against Jones after looking at the replay.

“It looked like it was an injury that happened after the play,” Rhule said.

Jones wasn’t penalised on the play and even if he does face sanction over the incident, it's only likely to be in the form of a fine.

The fumble by Jones helped the Panthers take a 3-0 lead but they conceded 24 of the next 27 points as New England sealed a comfortable win.

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