The hot microphone in NFL games is a cool feature that puts the spectator in the middle of the action. It adds a certain level of realism to games that wouldn’t otherwise exist.
Unfortunately for New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers, things became too real, when his conversation with running back Saquon Barkley were publicized, following the Patriots’ Week 12 loss to the New York Giants.
“You lucky we ass,” said Peppers, while laughing with his former teammate.
On Friday, Peppers apologized to the coaches and his teammates for the comments causing a distraction.
“First of all, man, I just want to apologize to my teammates and the coaches for even having to answer questions about that. We’ve got more important things to worry about than me being caught on the hot mic. But at the end of the day, we 2-9, we got a top-five pick in the draft that didn’t come via trade. We all know the standard. We all know what it’s supposed to look like, and it’s not that right now. It’s not no shot at anybody in the locker room. I said ‘we.’ We own that. I own that.”
Video: Jabrill Peppers apologizes for remarks to Saquon Barkley — which referenced the Patriots’ standing as having one of the NFL’s worst records — that were caught on a hot mic on the field after Sunday’s Patriots-Giants game. pic.twitter.com/sg1w5dWUgp
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 1, 2023
The apology is a strong and mature gesture on Peppers’ part, but it also doesn’t hide the fact that his words weren’t untrue. This Patriots team has reached new levels of bad this season.
They’re on the verge of a complete rebuild and potentially firing the greatest coach of all time, Bill Belichick.
