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Chargers say Seahawks rookie Frank Clark tried to punch Philip Rivers

Chargers say Seahawks rookie Frank Clark tried to punch Philip Rivers

San Diego Chargers offensive players were unhappy with Seattle Seahawks rookie Frank Clark after they believe he tried to punch quarterback Philip Rivers on Saturday night, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

After a sack by Jordan Hill, Clark was seen scrapping with Chargers offensive players. Left tackle King Dunlap yanked Clark out of the scrum and received a 15-yard penalty, but it's one Dunlap said he'll take to protect his quarterback, whom his Chargers teammates believed was being mistreated.

The U-T story quotes an unnamed Chargers player with the punching claim. Those who put their name to the story:

"That guy was on top of Philip, and that's our quarterback," Dunlap said. "I protect the quarterback at all costs."

Added right guard D.J. Fluker:

"That's our quarterback. We're going to protect the jewel of our offense."

Clark has had an interesting entry to the NFL. He was a second-round pick of the Seahawks and their top overall selection despite a rocky history at Michigan, which included expulsion for his involvement in a domestic violence arrest that later was plea bargained down to a misdemeanor last spring. The Seahawks say they did ample background work on Clark and have sought to give him a second chance in Seattle, but the pick earned quite a bit of negative attention locally.

Clark had a fantastic preseason debut with the Seahawks and looks to fit the mold of the team's feisty, ferocious defense. From the video of the Rivers play, it's tough to tell what Clark was guilty of.

When asked about the play in question, Clark relayed a story (via the Seattle Times) to the media after the game abour Richard Sherman telling him to try to keep his emotions in check.

“Man this game, it’s a lot of emotions involved," Clark said. “I’m a real emotional player but there are ways you react and ways you don’t react. You’ve got to be smart in this game. That was something Sherm was telling me afterwards, that whole thing, even though I didn’t get called for anything, just to avoid situations like that.”

Clark will make this Seahawks team, and it's not clear — beyond the Chargers' accusations — exactly what he did wrong. But avoiding any bad situation right now sounds like a good idea for the rookie.