Jets rookie Malachi Corley insists his touchdown turnover won't define him as a player
CTV
Malachi Corley's first NFL touchdown put him on highlight reels around the country and got social media buzzing because it didn't count.
Malachi Corley's first NFL touchdown put him on highlight reels around the country and got social media buzzing.
Because it didn't count.
The New York Jets rookie wide receiver celebrated too early by dropping the football just before he crossed the goal line on what first appeared to be a 19-yard TD run last Thursday night in the team's 21-13 win over Houston. But the score was overturned after a replay review. It was ruled a fumble after an 18-yard run and a touchback and turnover because it rolled out of the end zone.
“I was relishing the moment just as much as the entire MetLife (Stadium) was,” Corley said Wednesday while speaking to reporters for the first time since the game. “And when I seen it on the playback screen is the first time I seen it.”
He was stunned. So were the fans and his Jets teammates. And his touchdown turnover was about to give him some notoriety. Corley estimated he scored “200-plus touchdowns in my life” and it was the first time that happened to him.
“My emotions were still extremely elevated, just from the fact that for me, I just scored my first NFL touchdown,” he said. “You know, that moment got pulled back from me. But obviously, you know, my teammates really rallied around me, told me that they’d get the ball back for us. I felt really good after that.”
For many casual NFL fans, Corley’s gaffe — especially in front of a prime-time TV audience — was the first time they saw him play. And it might stick with them for a while, although Corley insists that isn’t how he’ll ultimately be remembered.
