Jets rookie Malachi Corley showed no remorse for dropping the ball before crossing the goal line during Thursday Night Football. Corley, speaking for the first time since his blooper six days ago, called it a “great experience.”
“It’s not a defining moment for me,” Corley said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.
Of course, the fact that Corley’s touchdown-turned-touchback didn’t cost the Jets the game helped. The Jets won 21-13 over the Texans.
“It could’ve got really bad for me [if the Jets had lost],” Corley said.
Corley was headed for his first NFL touchdown, running untouched to the end zone on an 19-yard jet sweep when he dropped the ball inches before crossing the goal line in a premature celebration. The run, originally called a touchdown by officials, was reversed to a touchback by replay after the ball went out of the back of the end zone after he dropped it.
Corley insists he is not embarrassed by his faux pas.
“No, not at all,” he said. “You take things with a grain of salt. You play this game for a long time, and you see a lot more and a lot less embarrassing things happen on the field. For me, it was a great learning experience overall. I was still extremely excited to run across the end zone line and be able to jet around the field and do all that type of stuff. So it was fun overall.”
Instead of his first touchdown, Corley ended up with his first blooper. He estimates he has scored more than 200 touchdowns in his career, dating to his youth days. He had never previously dropped the ball before the goal line.
It’s a good bet he will never do it again.
In fact, Corley said he will present his first official touchdown ball to interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.
“I’m probably going to hold on to the ball all the way to the sideline and give it to coach Brick and let him know that I owed him that one,” Corley said.
