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Chris Long weighs in on cheap shot hit to Jadeveon Clowney

From one defensive lineman to another, he wasn't happy about an ugly shot a lineman took at the college football star.

Streeter Lecka

South Carolina pass rushing phenom Jadeveon Clowney made his 2013 season debut on Thursday night against North Carolina. Clowney didn't record any sacks, but he was still a force in the game, such a force, in fact, that one UNC offensive tackle felt the need to take a shot at his leg. St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long weighed in on the hit via Twitter.

First, take a look at the hit. There's nothing questionable about it. It's just a blatant cheap shot to try and take out the guy's knee. See for yourself:

Clowney_medium

The guy did get flagged for the dirty hit. Long made it clear that he deserves more, and it's hard not to agree with him after watching that GIF.

It's an ugly hit, no matter how you look at it. A suspension seems minimal when you consider the potential for injury from a move like that.

Clowney's already become a sensation among NFL Draft followers, which means the conversation around one of the game's brightest young stars is about to get real stupid. And it's not even February.

Long should know a thing or two about the draft prospect echo chamber. He himself was talked about as a guy that wouldn't translate into a consistent pass rusher in the NFL, a high-character player who would never get more than a few sacks a year. 42 sacks and hundreds of QB pressures later ...

Clowney didn't register a sack in that game, and, as predicted, there were a few hand wringing tweets about it.

It's good to see a defensive lineman sticking up for his people.