One day after losing his cool on the sidelines and making a quick exit from the stadium following a crushing playoff loss, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs is explaining himself.
Diggs was seen growing visibly frustrated during the team’s 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on January 22, passionately gesturing toward quarterback Josh Allen on the sidelines. Diggs then left the stadium almost immediately, with a report saying a teammate needed to intercept the All-Pro wide receiver to get him to stay for postgame remarks from coaches.
On Monday, Diggs broke his silence on the incident and explained why he grew so upset.
Stefon Diggs: ‘Want Me to Be OK With Losing?’
In a series of tweets posted on Monday evening, Diggs explained that he was upset at the team’s performance in the game and ultimately angry that they lost. He also took aim at those who called him out for the reaction, saying their criticisms were misplaced.
“It’s easy to criticize my reaction more than the result,” he wrote. “Want me to be okay with our level of play when it’s not up to the standard ? Nah”
Diggs added, “Want me to be okay with losing ? Nah”
The Bills were dominated on both sides of the ball against the Bengals, with the offense scoring a season-low 10 points and the Bengals limiting Diggs to one of his worst games of the season. He caught four passes for 35 yards, but just missed on a pair of long shots from Allen that could have changed the trajectory of the game.
Stefon Diggs is fed up with Josh Allen
Diggs was seen growing upset during the game, and The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia reported that a teammate had to keep Diggs from bolting after the game.
“Bills WR Stefon Diggs darted out of the locker room with all his stuff before some of the Bills coaches were even down to the tunnel area,” Buscaglia tweeted after the game. “Practice squad RB Duke Johnson stopped Diggs before he left the stadium and brought him back to the locker room. He left a few minutes later.”
Buffalo Bills Teammates Defend Diggs
Diggs faced some criticism for his behavior on the sidelines, especially the outburst that appeared to be directed toward Allen, but teammates stuck up for him on Monday. Tight end Dawson Knox praised his passion on the field, emphasizing that Diggs has been a good teammate.
“He’s an ultimate competitor, he wants the ball in his hands because he knows how good he is and we know how good he is,” Knox said, via Heather Prusak of News 4 Buffalo. “In no way is he a bad teammate, sometimes football is emotional, he’s just a competitor.”
Stefon Diggs has the iPhone working tonight. I like his fire. I think he’s been a great player and leader. Actually I wish he would have gotten upset sooner when there was still time to make a difference. #BillsMafia
“21 days ago Stefon Diggs took an Uber to the hospital to be with Damar Hamlin,” noted reporter Matt Bove. “I think his frustration yesterday has been overblown. He’s not a bad teammate. He was bothered with his usage in the biggest game of the season & the team lost. They are better when he gets the ball.”
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Bills’ Stefon Diggs Breaks Silence on Outburst Against Bengals