Former Falcons pass rusher John Abraham has recently accused the 2012 Buccaneers of deliberately aiming to injure opposing players. During an appearance on The Water Boyz Show, Abraham recounted a conversation with Bucs tackle Donald Penn during the final game of that regular season.
According to Abraham, Penn approached him with a warning: “Hey man, be careful out here. The coaches told us to hurt you all.” Initially, Abraham thought Penn was joking, but Penn insisted, “Nah, they told us to hurt y’all. So we’re going to be going extra hard. After the whistle, we’ll do everything we can to mess with y’all.”
This allegation coincides with an injury Abraham sustained in that very game, where he was hurt in a collision with an opponent.
While Penn has denied these claims, Abraham’s accusations are on record and have raised eyebrows given the specificity of his account. It’s difficult to fathom any team giving explicit instructions to harm opponents, especially in 2012, a year marred by the infamous Saints’ bounty scandal. However, Bucs coach Greg Schiano was known for controversial tactics, including aggressively challenging the victory formation by targeting the knees of offensive linemen to force fumbles.
Currently, it’s Abraham’s word against Penn’s denial. The specificity of Abraham’s allegations lends them credibility, yet without further corroboration, the truth remains elusive. Whether other members of the 2012 Buccaneers roster or coaching staff will comment on these claims, or if the NFL will investigate, remains to be seen.