This season can’t end soon enough for the Broncos, who fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett on Monday. The embarrassing 51-14 loss to the Rams was the last straw as the Broncos’ frustrations boiled over.
It began during the game with backup quarterback Brett Rypien and left guard Dalton Risner got into a sideline dust-up and continued after the game when Broncos defensive end Randy Gregory and Rams offensive lineman Oday Aboushi exchanged punches.
Gregory and Aboushi received one-game suspensions from the NFL on Monday.
Rypien and Risner, though, insist they are good, downplaying their in-game exchange.
“It was just miscommunication,’’ Rypien said, via Mike Klis of 9News. “Dalton and I are really good friends. He thought I said something else.’’
Rypien was trying to support starting quarterback Russell Wilson when he walked over to where the offense was gathering and said something that upset Risner. CBS cameras caught the heated exchange.
A fan’s cellphone video shows Risner shove Rypien before running back Latavius Murray stepped in to push away Risner. Cam Fleming held back Risner, while rookie Montrell Washington stepped in front of Rypien.
“First off, it’s brotherly love,’’ Risner told Klis. “I’ve got so much respect for Ryp. He let our offensive line know that we need to pick up Russell Wilson when he goes down, and it’s the middle of the game. It’s heated. I didn’t really hear what he said. I thought he was talking about us giving up sacks.
“Me and him exchanged some words, and [Murray] broke us up, and five minutes later, me and him were hugging. I told him, ‘Hey, I think your message was good. I misunderstood you.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I shouldn’t have came at you that way. Should have been different timing.’ You know, so things happen when you’re frustrated, and you’re competitors, and you want to win. We have nothing but love for each other.”
