Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall has claimed that the tactics deployed by the Detroit Lions in Sunday's match between the two sides were "borderline illegal".
The Lions repeatedly hit quarterback Jay Cutler during the match until he was forced off through injury before the final drive to be replaced by Josh McCown.
Marshall acknowledged that the Lions were just about within the rules with their actions, but branded their tactics "disgusting" having watched Sunday's game back during practice.
"They're borderline illegal. I'll attach my name to it. I'm looking at film today, and it was kind of disgusting to see the D-line go out of their way to knock our quarterbacks down after every single play," Marshall told ESPN.
"The ball was gone. They're pushing them down. They're hitting them below their knees. It was kind of disgusting. It seemed like it was game planned, but it was borderline.
"You can't say it was illegal. But it was definitely one of those things where you say, 'Hey, we've got to pay attention to this.'"
The Lions went on to win the match 21-19, completing a clean sweep over the Bears this season.
Barney Corkhill
