They were happy to see Cassel off the field and someone new in. At the time nobody knew how injured Cassel was -- whether he had a concussion -- which has been a hotly debated safety issue in the NFL.

That left Winston incensed.

"We are athletes, OK? We are athletes. We are not gladiators. This is not the Roman Colosseum," Winston told reporters after the game.

"When you cheer somebody getting knocked out, I don't care who it is, and it just so happened to be Matt Cassel -- it's sickening," said Winston, a seven-year veteran from the University of Miami.

"If you are one of those people, one of those people that were out there cheering or even smiled when he got knocked out, I just want to let you know, and I want everybody to know that I think it's sickening and disgusting. We are not gladiators and this is not the Roman Colosseum. This is a game," Winston said.

"We have a lot of problems as a society if people think that's OK."