Patriots Mascot Reportedly Hospitalized After Jamal Adams Tackle at Pro Bowl

New York Jets safety Jamal Adams tackled the New England Patriots mascot during Pro Bowl festivities Wednesday, presumably as a joke:

But the joke may have gone too far. The person inside the suit was reportedly injured badly enough that a trip to the hospital was required, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, though Adams said he didn't intend to hurt anyone:

"He [the mascot] was running around and everybody was booing him, so I said, 'You know what? Let me go tackle him.' I didn't hit him that hard, man. All jokes aside, I didn't hit him that hard. I don't know what's really going on, but they did tell me he's in the hospital. My intention was never to hurt him. it was all about just a joke but I definitely want to check on him and make sure everything is good. At the end of the day we were out here just having fun and it wasn’t nothing intentionally to try to hurt the guy."

Adams had previously said he didn't regret his actions, however: 

DiRocco added that the NFL hasn't confirmed the hospitalization. A Patriots spokesman said the mascot was "sore," per CBS Boston. 

Adams, 23, is set to play in his first Pro Bowl after a strong sophomore campaign that saw him register 115 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception. Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 89.7 for the season, second amongst safeties.

His ability to line up at multiple positions was his strong suit. According to PFF's Austin Gayle, "Adams played 489 defensive snaps in the box, 281 at free safety, 172 at slot cornerback, 137 along the defensive line and another 40 at boundary cornerback."

While Adams proved to be a versatile and physical safety capable of making plays both in the box and in coverage, the NFL and the Jets would probably prefer he reserved his displays of form tackling for other NFL players, not mascots.