Notre Dame defender apologizes for his cheap shots against USC

The 2016 season came to a end for the Fighting Irish in Saturday’s 45-27 loss to USC. And as ugly as the score was, a couple of cheap shots by Notre Dame defensive lineman Jerry Tillery made it even uglier.

Tillery lost his cool in the fourth quarter against the Trojans, kicking an injured USC player in the head and stepping on the foot of another. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly laid into Tillery on the bench afterward:

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On Monday, Tillery apologized, saying his actions “were completely unbecoming and not indicative of the kind of player or person I am.”

And his apology was accepted by both running back Aca'Cedric Ware and offensive tackle Zach Banner – the USC players he targeted.

At least these examples of poor sportsmanship resulted in a couple displays of great sportsmanship.