Falcons receiver Drake London regrets the gun-themed celebration he performed on Monday against the Eagles after tying the game with a late touchdown.
After reeling in a seven-yard pass from Kirk Cousins, London pretended to shoot a gun into the stands at Lincoln Financial Field – which earned him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and made it so Younghoe Koo’s game-winning extra point was a 48-yarder.
Speaking to ESPN back at the Falcons’ facility, London admitted he ‘kind of lost myself’ in the moment and will likely be retiring the celebration.
‘It’s a trend around football right now to do that type of celebration,’ London said.
‘It was my first Monday Night Football game. I kind of lost myself in there. I wasn’t happy with the position I put my team in.’
Drake London earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with his gun TD celebration
London said afterwards that he ‘kind of lost myself’ while celebrating the massive score
He continued, ‘There’s a lot of stuff going around in the world with gun violence that I don’t think I should have displayed there. So, I’m not too happy with it, and [you] probably won’t see that again from me.’
London’s crass celebration came after the Falcons hosted high school athletes from Apalachee High School – where four people were fatally shot earlier this month.
Head coach Raheem Morris said his team is ‘sensitive’ to the issue of gun violence but admitted that London should not have done the celebration.
A day prior on Tuesday, he claimed in a press conference that London was ‘probably shooting T-shirts into the stands… because he’s just that kind of a guy.’
London caught the game-tying TD before the Falcons knocked in the go-ahead extra point
Morris added to ESPN afterwards that London had ‘no ill will and no intent’ with his gun celebration.
‘That was just Drake having fun with his fan base and his people up in the stands, and you don’t really think about those things at the moment,’ he continued.
London’s touchdown came after a pivotal drop from the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley which stopped the clock and kept the Falcons in the game.
The third-year wideout will hope to find the endzone again – without the gun celebration afterwards – when Atlanta host the Chiefs on Sunday.
