Austin Ekeler learned Monday that no good deed goes unpunished.
The Cowboys and Chargers got into a mini scuffle that featured Ekeler losing his helmet before Dallas’ 20-17 win on “Monday Night Football” at SoFi Stadium.
The Chargers running back paid the price for trying to help a teammate avoid a potentially bad situation, and enjoyed a laugh while recapping the altercation Tuesday.
“I feel like I was the one targeted out of all of this, and I’m in here trying to break it up,” Ekeler told Yahoo. “That was just my defensive instincts kicking in for, hey, protect your guys.”
Ekeler, who made his return Monday from an ankle injury suffered in Week 1, said the Chargers were going through the normal routines when the teams jockeyed for warm-up space.
It appeared the Cowboys ran through Chargers players while entering the field, which can be a precursor to these types of pregame disagreements.
“The DBs (defensive backs) come running onto the field, and it’s just the normal DBs on the field,” Ekeler said.”But at the same time, I don’t know if it was the defensive lineman or some group for Dallas was also running out on the field. I think they were trying to use the same area. I think there was some type of altercation there and I’m in the vicinity. We’re not in the exact same area as the DBs, we’re right next to them.
“All of a sudden, I hear a bunch of ‘Hey, hey.’ And people were scrummaging around, I’m looking around and all of a sudden like, what the heck? Like, what’s going on? And the guys are pushing.”
Ekeler said he inserted himself to help teammate and cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., nicknamed Zont.
Cowboys defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. then knocked off Ekeler’s helmet with a right hook.
“All of a sudden I see Zont, one of our corners, going at it with this dude and my instincts just kick in, I’m like ‘Oh, I got to get my guy out, like let me go get my guys out,’” Ekeler said. “I jog in there and I wasn’t at the intensity level they were at, right. If you see it, I’m kind of like casually walking in … I’m walking into a fight like, ‘What’s up, guys?’ Everything is chill. I’m going to get Zont out, like get my guys out and protect our guys.
“The bypassing throws that are being thrown around and sure enough caught one right in the side of the helmet. It didn’t faze me at all, I didn’t think twice about it. I was like, ‘Oh, my helmet came off and I’m getting Zont out of there, like I said protecting our guys.”
Monday’s game certainly had plenty of excitement aside from the actual contest, with a superfan becoming ESPN’s star of the broadcast and multiple brawls in the stands.
Ekeler had a low-key game Monday, rushing 14 times for 27 yards and adding four catches for 35 yards.