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New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore accused New York Jets tackle Armand Membou of being a “dirty” player, alleging Membou fell on him after the whistle during the Patriots’ lopsided win over the Jets on Sunday.
The incident took place just before halftime with the Jets on third-and-long and the Patriots leading 35-3. After the play, Barmore was seen being held back by teammates and in a heated discussion with head coach Mike Vrabel as the players headed toward the locker room.
Armand Membou (70) of the New York Jets runs the ball during an NFL football game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Nov. 13, 2025. (Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)
It wasn’t immediately clear what triggered Barmore’s reaction but he told The Boston Herald that
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Membou had fallen on him well after the whistle was blown.
“What happened was sorry ass number (70) do dirty-a– (expletive) behind my back,” Barmore said. “People want to talk (expletive), but he ain’t out there on this field. I’m just saying, bro. They want to act tough, you go in the locker room.”
“The play was already over,” he continued. “I heard the whistle blown. Bro came behind me and literally landed his whole body on my back.”
Video of the play does show Membou falling on Barmore near the line of scrimmage.
Christian Barmore (90) of the New England Patriots runs during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, on Dec. 21, 2025. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
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Vrabel addressed his conversion with Barmore after the game, adding that he was reminding the team to “keep their composure.”
“We have an identity that we’ve shown and that we’ve put out there on the football field, and made great decisions for the football team and we don’t want to give people free yards and that was it, just a reminder and Christian (Barmore), they did a great job. I mean, the referee came over there and told me that both him and Corey Durden and everybody else were doing a good job of trying not to get in anything after the whistle and after the play and I appreciate that. It was just a reminder.”
Barmore echoed that sentiment, telling The Herald, “We already knew what they were doing, so we had to keep cool for the team.”
“We got the win. Look at the scoreboard. I’m proud of my team, proud of us, proud of the D-line. We’re just going to keep getting better.”
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) is run out of bounds by New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin)
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Drake Maye threw a career-high five touchdown passes and the Patriots finished the regular season undefeated on the road with a 42-10 win over the Jets.
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