Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt let her emotions take over after a heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs in Sunday’s AFC Championship game.
Entering the locker room after the game, Pratt was caught on video yelling swear words on Cincinnati defensive end Joseph Ossai’s penalty kick for knocking Patrick Mahomes out of bounds in the final minute – which allowed the Chiefs to win the game from 45 yards. field goal at Arrowhead Stadium.
“This is the last series of the fucking family,” Pratt can be heard shouting in the now-viral footage. “Why the hell are you touching the quarterback?”
On Monday, Pratt first responded on social media, blaming others for the backlash for his “raw” reaction. But while speaking to the press later that day, he explained where he went wrong.
Warning: Graphical language
“I was in the moment,” Pratt said. “I was wrong. I would say I was wrong. As a man, you can look in the mirror and say, ‘I was wrong. I wasn’t a good teammate at the time. That doesn’t define me as a man.
“It’s a reaction that anyone who is a competitor has. You know what was at stake at that time. I love this game, no doubt about it. They talk about my character as a teammate. Some people have never played this game. They don’t know how much effort guys put into the game.”
When asked if he had spoken to Ossai since the AFC Championship loss, Pratt said he “went around and talked to all the guys” after the game.
Ossai was visibly upset after the loss and was seen crying on the Cincinnati bench as his teammates consoled him. The 22-year-old Texas product was also in tears in the locker room, and defensive tackle BJ Hill stood alongside Ossai as he answered questions from reporters.
“I have to be better,” Ossai said on Sunday. “I was just in chase mode. “And try to push [Patrick Mahomes] to maybe push him back [out of bounds] and make that clock tick… I gotta know not to approach that quarterback when he’s approaching that sideline.
Pratt, who is a free agent this offseason, said he is looking forward to spending time with his children and his fiancée.
“The brotherhood we’ve built here is unmatched,” Pratt said. “It’s unstoppable. Nobody can break us, no matter how many people try to smear your name in the media, nobody can stop it. I want to be back here.