BTN’s Mark Dixon slams Maryland lacrosse player over taunt: ‘You’re 3-4, Leo… go back to the faceoff and make the next play’

The Maryland Terrapins men’s lacrosse program has been among the best in the nation over the last 15 years, playing in the championship game seven times and winning two national titles.

This year, however, has been a uncharacterisiticly down one for the Terps. They entered Saturday’s game in Ann Arbor against the Michigan Wolverines with a 3-4 record, needing to find consistency and get some quality wins to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. It’s the kind of season where you just have to put your head down and do the work.

That’s not how Maryland attackman Leo Johnson operates, however. The Yale transfer leads the team in goals and points, including the two goals and three assists he notched in Maryland’s 14-8 win over the Wolverines.

However, on one goal in particular, Johnson got in the face of a Michigan defender to talk some smack, which didn’t sit very well with Big Ten Network color analyst Mark Dixon. The Johns Hopkins grad took Johnson to task for barking at his opponent instead of worrying about what he needed to do to focus on Maryland winning.

“This is not Maryland lacrosse,” said Dixon. “Leo Johnson recognizes a little bit of time, puts it in, and then, look at him barking at the Michigan defender. It’s unnecessary. You made a play, you stuck it in the back of the cage. You’re 3-4, Leo. Just go back to the faceoff and make the next play. Matt Rambo never behaved that way. Jared Bernhardt, Logan Wisnauskas. All the greats from Maryland never behaved in that fashion. Leo Johnson needs to drop that from his game.”

Dixon’s callout of Johnson drew mixed reviews, with some supporting it and others arguing that trash talk is a healthy part of the game. For what it’s worth, one thing anyone who’s ever played lacrosse can tell you is that trash talk is a near constant on the field, so maybe Johnson just needs to do a better job hiding it.