Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson spoke with his teammates on Wednesday to address not hustling to recover a fumble vs. the Bengals on Sunday.
“It was really just me owning up to what I did on Sunday to the team and just let them know it won’t happen again,” Johnson said, via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “How I feel and how I should go about the situation next time it occurs. I own up to it. I am not perfect. So all I can do is keep moving forward and just play football.”
The play happened in the first quarter of the game, when running back Jaylen Warren fumbled in the red zone of a scoreless game. Johnson was seen on camera walking past the ball while Bengals defenders recovered the fumble to secure the turnover.
Yeah… Diontae Johnson has completely given up with the Steelers. pic.twitter.com/64qxh3tKdz
— Brandon Little (@BrandonLittleBL) November 26, 2023
On Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin said that Johnson would speak with the team and that the veteran wide receiver needs to be more focused on the game.
“Diontae can’t let the emotions of the previous down affect his next down, but I’ll give him an opportunity to address that with you guys,” Tomlin said. “I’ll give him an opportunity to address that with his teammates. I’m not going to add any additional color. I think plays like that are best described and outlined by those involved and less so by guys like me.”
In seven games this year, Johnson has recorded 30 catches for 385 yards and one touchdown. He is just two seasons removed from his only 1,000-yard receiving season, and he is signed in Pittsburgh through 2024.
