Getty Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023.
Just when the controversy surrounding Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs was starting to die down, commentator Shannon Sharpe threw some fuel back on the fire.
Diggs came under fire after video from the team’s October 8 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars showed him growing upset and tossing a tablet while watching a replay from the bench. Bills quarterback Josh Allen later explained the receiver’s actions, but Sharpe said this week that he believes the behavior was “unacceptable.”
Shannon Sharpe Takes Aim at Stefon Diggs
Allen spoke up in defense of Diggs this week, growing a bit heated at the criticism the receiver had faced and saying that Diggs was only upset that he ran the wrong route on a play in the team’s loss to the the Jaguars.
“People are throwing different ideas about what he was mad at on the sideline. He was mad at himself for running the wrong release on a route,” Allen said, via Pro Football Talk. “He’s a competitor, he’s a fiery competitor. I’m tired of hearing all this nonsense from people. There’s a lot of guys in the league who have that fire who don’t get talked about. He’s a lot of our juice on the sideline, making sure the offense is staying up and as energized as possible, and we feed off that.”
Speaking on ESPN’s First Take on Friday, Sharpe said Allen should have never been put in the position to have to defend Diggs’ behavior.
“[Allen] says I’m tired of people asking about it, so why does [Diggs] keep doing it?” Sharpe said, adding that no other Bills receivers have shown the kind of anger and frustration that Diggs has in the past.
.@ShannonSharpe has a problem with Stefon Diggs’ sideline behavior 😳
Sharpe went on to say that he believes Diggs wants to win, but said he also wants to make sure he’s getting personal stats while the team is winning.
“To show up in front of 80,000 in attendance and the millions of people that are watching on television, that is unacceptable behavior,” Sharpe added. “And Stefon. I kind of played the game and I was okay, too. So, no, I don’t agree with that behavior, bro.”
Bills Fans React to Criticism
Some Bills fans came to Diggs’ defense, taking particular issue with the insinuation that Diggs cares primarily about his own stats.
“Except he didn’t do it because he wasn’t getting the ball, he did it because he ran the wrong route. It’s amazing everyday these guys on tv get paid to do this and don’t know what they’re talking about 90% of the time,” one fan shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Others added that Sharpe’s take appeared to disregard Allen’s previous explanation that he was upset about running a route incorrectly. At the time of Diggs’ outburst, the Bills were trailing and struggling to move the ball against an aggressive Jaguars defense.
“I’m a fan of Shannon but he completely based his opinion on nothing but assumptions,” a fan wrote. “Also he doesn’t have to assume! Josh Allen came out and said this week Diggs was mad at himself for not running the route perfectly. You’re better than this @ShannonSharpe.”
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Viral Takedown of Bills WR Stefon Diggs’ Behavior Sparks Controversy