Chris Long Ejected and Flips off Panthers Fan That Throws Bottle at Him

It was a day to forget for the St. Louis Rams, as Chris Long was ejected in the third quarter of what would be a 30-15 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 7.

The six-year veteran threw a punch at Panthers punter Chris Scott, per the Charlotte Observer's Jonathan Jones.

What exactly spurred the fracas isn't known. The MMQB reported that Long was getting into it with Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith prior to the punch.

You can watch video of the incident below, courtesy of NFL.com.

Before leaving the game, Long had two tackles, one of which was for a loss.    

As you'd expect, the Panthers fans let the defensive end have it as he was walking back to the Rams' locker room after being ejected. Things escalated a bit when one fan threw a bottle that landed close to Long. That led the player to flip the bird to said fan.

Long was remorseful after the game, according to the Rams' Twitter account.

However, he remained somewhat defiant toward the Panthers' fans on Twitter.

The league will likely come down hard on the player. Getting ejected means a hefty fine and possible suspension. Then you have to throw in the act of flipping off a fan. That's going to be another fine.

Michael Vick had to pay the league $10,000 when he flipped off Atlanta Falcons fans back in 2006. Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams was fined the princely sum of $250,000 when he gave the Buffalo Bills the bird in 2009.

Long's outburst couldn't come at a worse time for the Rams. Sam Bradford was forced to leave the game with what looked like a serious knee injury. Bleacher Report's Will Carroll shared the news on Twitter.

Jeff Fisher elaborated on Bradford's situation.

Now St. Louis (3-4) could be without two of its best players for a pivotal NFC West rivalry game with the Seattle Seahawks (6-1) next Monday.