Cincinnati Bengals ace Germaine Pratt responded to the video of him shouting at teammate Joseph Ossai after the defensive end’s penalty helped the Kansas City Chiefs win the AFC Championship and advance to the Super Bowl.
In a pulsating AFC Championship Game, Patricks Mahomes overcame an ankle injury to lead the Chiefs past the Bengals with a 23-20 win at Arrowhead Stadium. The star entered the game without a win in three meetings with Bengals ace Burrow, but the MVP favourite ensured he finally got one over his rival as Harrison Butker sunk the clinching field goal to win with three seconds remaining.
Late in the fourth quarter, Ossai drew an agonising penalty for a late hit on Mahomes which ultimately led to Butker’s winning kick. The ball moved from the Bengals’ 43-yard line to the 28 with just eight seconds remaining, allowing Butker to kick the 45-yard field goal to send the Chiefs to a third Super Bowl in four years.
Ossai was understandably emotional after his error played a key part in costing the Bengals a trip to a second successive Super Bowl, and the defensive end was seen crying on the sidelines. As Cincinnati players trudged off the field and confetti fell following the Chiefs’ win, Pratt was captured venting his anger at Ossai’s penalty.
The linebacker screamed: “It’s the motherf****** last series. What the f***?! Why the f*** did you touch the quarterback?!”
In a later Instagram video, Pratt added a message addressing the incident concerning himself and Ossai. He wrote: “Yep ppl will post anything on social media for likes and views. I have real feelings sometimes they are raw. If you love something as much I do sometimes things will be said in the heated of the moment.
“But I know what type of teammate I am. And what type of man I am. Trust me no love lost Im hurt. Remember some ppl with hate you, rate you and shake you and try to break you but I will stand tall like always.”
Despite Pratt’s emotional outburst, Ossai insisted he felt the support of his teammates following the error. His penalty on Mahomes cost the Bengals a second successive trip to the Super Bowl, and Ossai was understandably inconsolable on the sidelines.
“I gotta learn from experience,” Ossai said. “I gotta know not to get close to that quarterback when he's close to that sideline if it's anything that could possibly cause a penalty in a dire situation like that. I gotta do better.”
After a second successive deep playoff run, the Bengals enter the 2023 offseason focused on improving to ultimately return to the Super Bowl and go one better in winning a championship. With superstar quarterback Joe Burrow at the helm, Cincinnati will believe they can be perennial contenders.
The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona on February 12. The Eagles crushed the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 in the NFC Championship Game.
