In the aftermath of the Cincinnati Bengals losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game, much of the attention centered on Joseph Ossai after what was effectively his game-ending penalty on the hit to Patrick Mahomes.
But while Germaine Pratt’s locker room outburst went viral, onlookers never got the full story of what went on behind the scenes. The most outsiders saw, besides that Pratt moment, was B.J. Hill standing bodyguard for Ossai at the lockers.
But thanks to a string of notes from NFL Network’s Mike Giardi, we now know a little more about what went down.
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson was one of the notables to go well out of his way to make sure Ossai wasn’t feeling too down after the game:
Hendrickson stopped, put his hand on Ossai's chest, got close & told him that 1 play didn't decide the game, that the Bengals had plenty of plays where they could have won. Trey made sure Joseph was looking at him, remarking that Ossai had balled out … (2)
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023
player who was in the locker room. He thanked them for the effort and said he appreciated what each man had done for him and the team. There was a genuineness to all of it that made me think the Bengals are in great hands from a leadership perspective, both with the coach…(4)
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023
and the locker room. Most of you saw teammate BJ Hill standing up next to Ossai when he did his postgame interview (credit to Ossai btw. I've seen many players dip and duck rather than answer) but there was so much more to appreciate in those moments than just that,
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023
only thing i can compare it to, on that big a scale, was when Tim Wakefield gave up the home run at Yankee Stadium in game 7, 2003. That level of emotion. Disappointment. But support for the guys around him.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023
It’s an amazing thread, so many thanks to Giardi for sharing something outsiders would’ve never otherwise seen.
And it’s also just another testament to the locker room culture the Bengals have built over the last few years, where the coachspeak about such things isn’t just a front for the public.
