When the Green Bay Packers took the field for the second half of their win over the Chicago Bears on Thursday night, they did so without cornerback Damarious Randall. It's not just that they didn't have Randall in the game; he wasn't on the field at all.
Josh Hawkins is at left cornerback to start the second half in place of Damarious Randall. https://t.co/VpP48i6qTT
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 29, 2017
#Packers confirm that Damarious Randall is not on the sideline with the team and is not injured. Photo is from when he was pulled earlier. https://t.co/jTXcJZrd2I
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) September 29, 2017
Packers coach Mike McCarthy declined to elaborate on why Randall didn't join the team on the field when asked about it post-game.
"Actually, that's an internal matter that we'll keep internal and we'll work through that," McCarthy said.
Now, we know what happened. According to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Randall got into an argument with a coach and eventually left the stadium, though it's not known whether he did so before or after the game ended.
#Packers CB Damarious Randall got into a argument with a coach Thurs, then was sent into the locker room, sources said. He left the stadium.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 29, 2017
There are differing accounts of when exactly Randall left the stadium. Source close to him says it was not while the game was still on. https://t.co/LZGpD24xb7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 29, 2017
We don't exactly know what happened with Randall and the Green Bay coaches, but we do know he was replaced by Josh Hawkins for the second half of the game. Hawkins actually fared pretty well, playing 22 snaps in coverage and allowing three catches for 30 yards on his six targets, per Pro Football Focus.
The Packers have 10 days off before their Week 5 matchup with the Cowboys, who they beat on a miraculous late-game throw by Aaron Rodgers in the divisional round of the playoffs last year. It's not yet known what Randall's status is for that game.
