Lamar Jackson says he 'didn't pull a Paul Pierce' in response to pooping allegations

• Lamar Jackson says he wasn't pooping during his extended absence during Monday night's game.
• Jackson ran off to the locker room in the middle of the game dealing with "cramps," but the video had fans wondering if he needed a bathroom break.
• After returning to the field to beat the Browns, Jackson told reporters in his post-game interview that he "didn't pull a Paul Pierce."

Lamar Jackson led the Ravens to an improbable comeback against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night in the most exciting game of the NFL season.

But the Ravens likely wouldn't have needed his late-game heroics had Jackson been on the field through the entirety of the game. Through much of the fourth quarter, Jackson was in the locker room, and in his absence, the Browns erased a 34-20 deficit to take the lead against Baltimore.

While the Ravens said Jackson was in the locker room to deal with "cramps," a video of the reigning NFL MVP rushing off of the field suggested to fans online that Jackson was simply in desperate need of a bathroom break.

—BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) December 15, 2020

Jokes were made, but Jackson got the last laugh, as he returned just in time to lead the Ravens to an astounding comeback win, throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass on his first play back on the field and then leading Baltimore on a drive through the final seconds of the game to set up the game-winning field goal.

After the game, Jackson insisted that despite the jokes being made online, he was, in fact, dealing with cramps in the locker room.

"I was cramping," Jackson told reporters in his post-game press conference. "I ain't pull no Paul Pierce. I didn't pull a Paul Pierce. I was cramping."

—ESPN (@espn) December 15, 2020

Jackson's Paul Pierce name-drop was a reference to the most high-profile poop-related absence in the history of sports, when Pierce left the court in a wheelchair in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals, only to return to the court minutes later looking as fresh as ever.

Despite Jackson's insistence that he had not gone to the bathroom, the jokes persisted, prompting Jackson to post a tweet in defense of his side of the story.

—Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) December 15, 2020

Regardless of what actually happened or didn't happen in the Ravens' locker room, let's congratulate Jackson for his heroic effort in beating the Browns.