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Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey was ejected from last Sunday’s game against the Bengals after being on the receiving end of a takedown and punches from Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green in a scuffle at the end of the first half.

Ramsey pushed Green at the start of the incident, but didn’t throw any punches of his own in response to Green’s onslaught. After the game, referee Brad Allen said a player does not need to throw a punch to be ejected and called Ramsey an “instigator” who had been previously warned to knock off the extracurriculars with Green.

It seems Jaguars executive vice president Tom Coughlin, who spent last year working for the league after being dismissed by the Giants, takes issue with that rationale. Coughlin released a statement on Tuesday in support of Ramsey and taking issue with the idea that he committed a violation of the rules.

“Our players are instructed to not retaliate or get involved or do anything that would result in eviction because that would hurt the team,” Coughlin said. “Team comes first, and Jalen was trying to not hurt his team. While he did push his opponent — something that happened with other players during the game — he did not retaliate, he threw no punches, and he did not fight back. Jalen was doing what Coach [Doug] Marrone has instructed him to do, which is to play tough, be physical and to make every play difficult for his opponent. There was banter going back and forth during the game, but Jalen was playing football within the rules.”

Neither Ramsey nor Green was suspended, although Green can expect a sizable fine from the league this week. Ramsey could also be fined and it appears he can count on Coughlin’s backing for a potential appeal.