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Zach Moore
FOXBORO — Zach Moore wasn’t about to add any fuel to the fire on Monday.
Asked about Detroit offensive lineman Dominic Raiola diving at his knees and taking a swing at him at the end of the game on Sunday, the rookie defensive lineman shrugged.
“I think coach already addressed that,” said Moore. “I’m thankful that no one got hurt in that situation. I’ve got my health. Now, I’m just ready to prepare for Green Bay.
“[It’s just about] being professional and keeping my composure — something I’ve had my entire football career. Just don’t play into the craziness,” he added. “Just keep playing football and praying for good health all the way through the game.”
Raiola said he did what he did because the Patriots went for a late touchdown.
“I cut him. We took a knee, so I cut the nose [tackle],” Raiola told reporters following the game. “They went for a touchdown at two minutes; they could have taken three knees and the game could have been over.
“I mean, it’s football. You want us to keep playing football? Let’s play football. No big deal — it’s football.”
Moore did not retaliate following the incident, but after the game — a 34-9 win for the Patriots over Detroit — it was clear that several New England players had an issue with what happened. Veteran defensive lineman Vince Wilfork called Raiola’s play “stupid,” while Bill Belichick shot back at Raiola in a conference call with the media.
“I’m sure there was a lot of frustration there for [Dominic] Raiola,” Belichick said on Monday’s conference call. “That’s obvious. He’s never beaten us. Tough day in there dealing with Wilfork, [Dont’a] Hightower and those guys, so it was probably frustration. We saw a lot of that at the end of the game.”
“I think I handled myself pretty well. It is what it is with that,” Moore said. “You look at the score, I’d probably be mad too.
“it’s a tough game. It’s a physical game. You just have to roll with the punches,” Moore added. “Literally.”
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Raiola will not be fined for the incident.
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