Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Giovani Bernard was involved in an awkward exchange with reporters after Sunday night's defeat against the Cincinnati Bengals, but fans believe the blame should be placed at Tom Brady's door instead.
Bernard snapped the ball for what appeared to be a punt fake during Sunday's game, but failed to catch it and was taken down for a loss of yards - and a turnover deep in their own territory.
The running back was approached by media in the locker room after the game to discuss what happened, but Bernard initially had no desire to stop and chat. Instead, he explained he wanted to go outside and speak to his family.
In footage shared on social media, reporters pushed back and demanded he speak to them before leaving, as players are contractually obligated to do.
However, things turned ugly when a member of the media accused Bernard of having not spoken publicly throughout the season - despite the fact he's been injured and has barely played.
Bernard eventually stopped to speak, and took full credit for the blunder. He said: "it was a miscommunication, that's all it was. It was my fault. It's on me, that's something I did wrong. It's all on me, number 25 out there, it's on me. I messed up. Yeah, I messed up."
While fans were upset with the mix-up, many took to social media to ask why quarterback Brady wasn't in the firing line for criticism, considering he turned the ball over four times during the defeat. One wrote: "Never mind Tom Brady's 4 turnovers against a 'fairly tough defense'," while another posted: "Never forget Brady blew a big lead and was responsible for 4 turnovers because that isn’t gonna get brought up"
Speaking afterwards, Brady took some blame for the offense's inefficiency, saying: “The two fumbles were, you know, my fault. It was uncharacteristic. One of the interceptions was just a terrible throw, and the other one I think I may have got hit. I was laying on the ground, and the ball landed in his arms.”
Coach Todd Bowles wasn't so kind to Bernard, however, and didn't mince his words when discussing what went wrong on the play.
“We needed a yard. We had it,” Bowles said. “We practiced it all week. We just didn’t handle the football.
“It was fourth and one. They had a front that we could take advantage of. It was blocked well. We could’ve run for four or five yards. We missed the ball.”
Asked if he regretted calling that play, Bowles simply replied: "No. It was the perfect time.”
