Malik Willis gives Matt LaFleur gross reason for refusing to throw football

Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis had his hands full starting in relief of the injured Jordan Love - but one of his teammate’s stomachs was clearly empty.

On Sunday, Willis received the starting nod against the Indianapolis Colts while Love continues to recover from a knee injury he suffered in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles . The 25-year-old did just enough to help Green Bay secure a 16-10 victory, completing 12-of-14 passes for 122 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

The strong showing was all the more impressive considering Willis was traded to the Packers just 20 days before making his debut with the team. Despite the admirable performance, one play in particular initially drew the ire of Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur.

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Late in the first half, Willis ran a pass play on third-and-10 from the Packers 47-yard-line - but instead of throwing the ball, he opted to tuck it and scramble for a meagre 3-yard gain. Upon approaching the signal-caller afterwards to understand his decision-making, LaFleur was quite shocked by the response.

"I asked Malik why he didn't throw the ball on third down, and he told me that [center] Josh [Myers] threw up on the ball," LaFleur told reporters after the game. "I was like, 'That's the first time I've ever heard that.'

“Matter of fact, the official came over to me, Shawn [Hochuli] came over to me and said, 'We saw your center throwing up on the ball, do you want us to take him out next time?' I said, 'Absolutely, please do that.'

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“Because you're talking about a critical situation, and it's third down, and I've never had a throw with vomit on a football. I think Malik probably didn't appreciate that."

When asked about the strange incident, Myers revealed that he felt like something was caught in the back of his throat prior to the snap. With few other options, the offensive lineman opted to throw up then and there.

“I’ve got to do my job,” he said postgame. “Unfortunately, no one cares if I’m throwing up if I give up a sack, you know? So I’ve got to block him. So I’m just like, ‘Oh my God. I can’t not block this guy right now. I have to get this.’ Pretty much the only thing going through my mind.”

This isn’t the first time that Myers has vomited in the middle of a game. The 26-year-old admitted to throwing up during the Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Eagles in Brazil to begin the season, but asserted that he’s never done so on the football directly before a snap.

After learning that his vomit landed directly on the football, Myers expressed sympathy for his quarterback. "I tried to lean over. Dang, I'm going to have [to] apologize for that one,” he said. “That was probably pretty gross."

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