New Orleans Saints right tackle Zach Strief has defended safety Kenny Vaccaro amid questions over his aggression.
Vaccaro has become notorious for his hard-hitting style in training since joining the Saints this summer, a reputation that was further enhanced when he put wide receiver Joe Morgan out for the season on Saturday.
However, Morgan was quick to absolve Vaccaro of any blame in the incident and Strief believes that the rookie can not be held accountable for the injury.
"Look, you love having that guy on your team. Do we feel like he's too physical sometimes in practice? Sure. But we feel the same way about some D-linemen and some linebackers, and they feel the same way about us," The AP quotes Strief as saying.
"Kenny is who he is and I'm glad he's on the team, and I certainly wish that Joe was still with us, but it's part of the game. I would never watch a guy make a legitimate football play and have someone get hurt and say, 'It's your fault.'"
Vaccaro was the 15th overall pick in this year's NFL draft.