Getty Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen celebrate a play in a Buffalo Bills game.
Josh Allen has had enough of critics taking aim at his teammate.
The Buffalo Bills quarterback issued a heated statement on October 11 calling out those who criticized wide receiver Stefon Diggs after he was seen growing animated on the sidelines during the team’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 8. Video from the game’s broadcast showed Diggs growing angry while reviewing a play on a tablet, then slamming down the tablet in frustration.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Allen explained why Diggs grew so upset.
Josh Allen: ‘Tired of Hearing All This Nonsense’
Video of Diggs’ outburst led to some immediate criticism, with some questioning whether the receiver was unhappy with the team. Others questioned whether the team might ultimately trade Diggs.
Diggs had already stirred speculation about his future in Buffalo when he was seen growing animated with Allen during the team’s playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, then stirred more drama with cryptic posts over the offseason. The situation culminated when Diggs was sent home on the first day of mandatory minicamp in June, but there have been no issues since then.
Allen explained that Diggs was only growing upset on Sunday because he ran a route incorrectly. The Bills quarterback added that he’s tired of critics taking Diggs’ passion out of context to stir drama.
Josh Allen stands with Stefon Diggs for the sideline frustrations last week: “He was mad at himself for running the long release on a route. I’m tired of hearing about all this nonsense from people. … He’s our juice on the sideline.”
Allen added: “Frankly that kind of ticks me…
“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.”
Allen went on to further defend Diggs, saying he is well respected in the locker room and has always been passionate about his desire to win.
“He’s a captain for a reason,” Allen said. “For better or worse, he’s up in guys’ faces and he’s making sure that we have as much juice as we need, and he supplies that to our offense at times we need it. He doesn’t get the burn that he deserves that and frankly it ticks me off when people want to say something about him.”
Josh Allen Has Defended Diggs Before
This is not the first time that Allen has stuck up for his teammate. After Diggs was absent on the first day of minicamp, Allen issued an uncharacteristically strong statement to clarify that there were no personal problems between the teammates.
“Internally, we’re working on some things,” Allen said, via Pro Football Talk. “Not football-related. Stef, he’s my guy. I f***ing love him. He’s a brother of mine. This does not work, what we’re doing here, without him.”
Diggs has been off to a strong start this season, making 39 receptions for 520 yards with five touchdowns through the first five games.