The 2023 AFC Championship Game ended in brutality for the Cincinnati Bengals. Linebacker Joseph Ossai tagged Patrick Mahomes a bit too late on a play late in the game. Referees hit Ossai with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which gave the Kansas City Chiefs ample opportunity to clinch a berth in the Super Bowl. The futile loss was met with harsh reaction from one of Ossai’s teammates. But on Monday, that teammate reneged that outburst.
Germaine Pratt let his thoughts be known after Ossai’s unfortunate moment on Sunday night. The Bengals linebacker blasted Ossai, shouting, “This is my f*****g last year. What the f***? Why do you (inaudible) the quarterback?” at him after the game in a messy locker room incident.
Pratt told reporters Monday that he was sorry for those antics though. Via ProFootballTalk, the Bengals linebacker told Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Shelby Dermer, “It’s a reaction that anybody has that’s a competitor. You know what was at stake in that moment. A guy made a mistake, over and done with it. I was emotional. I was in the moment. As a man, you can look yourself in the mirror and say I was wrong. I wasn’t a great teammate in that moment.”
Fans were remarkably gentle after Ossai was caught crying on the sidelines. There really is no sense in kicking a man when he’s down, so it’s for the best that Pratt apologized. Good on him for it as well.
