Wes Welker Knocked Out of Patriots-Steelers Game After Vicious Hit

by Jon Azpiri | November 30, 2008 at 07:17 pm

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New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker was knocked out of the Patriots loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers afte a vicious hit by Steelers safety Ryan Clark.

In the third quarter of the Steelers vs Patriots game, Welker ran a route down the middle of the field and was absolutely leveled by Clark. The pass by Pats QB Matt Cassel's pass was deflected and Welker was drilled by Clark. Welker did not return to the game after the hit. After the game, team officials did not reveal details about the wide receiver's injury.

After the game, there was some questions about whether Clark's hit on Welker was dirty.

Clark was penalized for the hit by game officials -- he shouldn't have been -- and he'll likely be fined by the league. But the hit wasn't dirty. It was intimidating and facemask-bending, but it wasn't dirty.

"It wasn't like I was trying to be cheap," Clark said. "Anybody that comes across (the middle) it's my job to tackle them. The ball got tipped, but (the official) said I shouldn't have left my feet. I didn't know how to control that. I talked to (Patriots running back) Kevin Faulk and apologized. I couldn't find Welker after the game to tell him I wasn't trying to be dirty."

Was the Ryan Clark hit on Wes Welker dirty or not? Check out the video here and decide for yourself.