Myles Jack calls ejection from UCLA’s Monday practice ’embarrassing’

Myles Jack didn’t realize how just how far his name could carry a story.

On Monday, UCLA head coach Jim Mora tossed his star linebacker from practice at Cal State San Bernardino after the sophomore had an altercation with offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch. Jack slapped Benenoch in the helmet and taunted him, but the incident looked like a run-of-the-mill, mid-training camp tiff.

But given that it involved a player who successfully starred out on both sides of the ball last season, the headlines multiplied quickly.

“The platform that I guess I’m on, I’ve really got to watch out what I say or do,” Jack said Wednesday. “I’ve got to be careful. I’ve got to be smart with what I say, what I do. I’ve just got to be better in that situation overall. I could have handled it a whole different way. It’s all on me. It’s all on my shoulders. …

“I didn’t expect it to be on SportsCenter and all that. I didn’t think it would be that big a deal.”

Jack called the ejection “embarrassing,” adding that his mother, La Sonjia, gave him an unhappy phone call afterward. He had realized his mistake even sooner.

“I got dressed before everybody and took a shower before everybody,” he said. “So I went to my room, I looked on my phone and it was already on my phone. I just know I’ve got to be careful. Not 15 minutes later, and it’s already on my phone. I’ve just got to be better. I’m 18. I learn.”