Micheal Clemons wasn’t involved in the scrum when it first started.
He was stationed on the outside, watching the cluster of Jets and Dolphins descend into a chaotic sequence of shoves early in the fourth quarter.
But when Clemons entered and got involved, it ended with the defensive lineman’s arm striking umpire Carl Paganelli in the face — causing the official to spit up blood — and with him getting ejected.
Robert Saleh described it as “inadvertent” contact, with Paganelli crossing Clemons’ path as he appeared to point toward Miami offensive lineman Lester Cotton, but it still turned into one of four personal fouls committed by the Jets in their 34-13 loss Friday at MetLife Stadium.
“He’s pointing and he accidentally hit the referee,” Saleh said. “It’s still a foul.”
Clemons’ ejection continued a disastrous week for the fourth-round pick in last year’s draft.
During the Jets’ game Sunday, Clemons tangled with Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins — with Dawkins adding some theatrics, falling onto the field and rolling around — to start a back-and-forth that continued postgame.
Clemons and Dawkins needed to get separated while walking down the tunnel, with a handful of others joining, too.
That started his week. It ended with an ejection.
But even before that latest sign of frustration, personal fouls had already cost the Jets.
Four of their six penalties were categorized under that label.
Quinton Jefferson drew a flag for unnecessary roughness on Miami’s first offensive snap — turning a 4-yard loss, when Quinnen Williams stuffed Raheem Mostert, into a first down that sparked a lengthy drive — by headbutting an offensive lineman.
“I’d say the most disappointing one was probably the one in the beginning of the game,” Saleh said of Jefferson’s penalty. “Didn’t need to happen.”
C.J. Mosley was flagged for two personal fouls, too, with one stemming from a facemask penalty late in the third quarter and another occurring in the same scuffle that involved Clemons’ ejection.
In an interview with SNY postgame, when asked what happened on his personal foul, Mosley joked and chimed back, “Which one?”
The Jets already had struggled on offense despite a quarterback change.
They were struggling on defense, too, and got torched by Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle and the rest of the Dolphins.
But the personal fouls extended Miami drives, with Mosley’s facemask turning what would’ve been a punt into a first down.
That possession ended with a Mostert touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
It led to the costly extra-point attempt that featured the Jets’ final two personal fouls.
“I’m gonna look out for my guys at the end of the day,” Mosley told SNY about the extra-point scuffle, adding that the Dolphins instigated some plays. “… That’s all it was. Protecting my boys.”
Though that only cost the Jets on the ensuing kickoff, Clemons’ penalty eliminated a defensive lineman from the rotation.
The defense, getting worn down the past five days, needed every ounce of depth possible at that point, too.