Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs this week spoke out on his midseason slump, then pushed back after a news outlet appeared to misquote him and make it appear he was taking a shot at the team.
Diggs spoke to reporters on his recent dip in production and troubles with drops, saying he doesn’t believe he is experiencing a personal dropoff and was still putting in the same effort as before.
“For me, personally, I’ve been trying, bro. I promise you I’ve been trying. It’s not because of me,” Diggs told reporters on December 14, via Tim Graham of The Athletic.
Diggs went on to express frustration with the situation, saying it has been a trying ordeal.
“I’m not going to lie,” Diggs said. “I get furious out there, like, want to say the F-word, but you know exactly what I mean.”
But a news outlet that shared both quotes mashed together — though they came at different times in the wide receiver’s press conference — drew some strong pushback from Diggs.
Stefon Diggs: ‘WTF Is This’
Graham’s report outlined the recent slump for Diggs, who through the first six games of the season was on pace for a year of more than 1,700 yards and 14 touchdowns but has seen a dropoff over the last seven games. The story quoted Diggs sharing frustration but stressed that he was working just as hard as before.
But when a news outlet shared both of Diggs’ quotes together, many left with the impression that his statement that it was “not because of me” was meant as a shot at the team.
“wtf is this,” Diggs wrote on Instagram under a post of the quote.
Graham also weighed in, pointing out that it was a misinterpretation of his original article.
“Here’s the thing folks, this website took two quotes and smashed them together. This is not how I presented Diggs’ quotes,” he shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Past Tensions Between Bills, Stefon Diggs
The mashed-up quote appeared to hint at the longstanding rumors of tension between Diggs and the team, dating back to the disappointing ending to the 2022 season. Diggs was seen growing upset on the sidelines during the team’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round of the playoffs, then set off speculation with a series of cryptic posts on social media.
The situation came to a head in June when Diggs was sent home on the first day of mandatory minicamp, though there had not been any issues since then and both sides have insisted that they worked out their football-related differences.
There are still some who believe that the team may have plans to part ways with Diggs after the season. Connor Livesay of The 33rd Team speculated this week that the Bills could look to trade their All-Pro wide receiver to make room for a pair of budding young stars — tight end Dalton Kincaid and slot receiver Khalil Shaki — to take on bigger roles.
“Diggs is still one of the NFL’s most talented wide receivers, but the Bills are 6-6 and are currently out of the playoffs,” Livesay wrote on December 8, before the Bills beat the Kansas City Chiefs to move to 7-6. “We could see a brand-new Buffalo team in 2024 if its standing doesn’t improve.”
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Bills WR Stefon Diggs Claps Back at Controversial Misquote