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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen may be trying to put the situation with teammate Stefon Diggs in the past, but his response to the situation this week may have only stirred up more drama.
Diggs caused a stir when he was absent on the first day of mandatory minicamp on June 13 and head coach Sean McDermott told reporters that he was “very concerned” about the situation. McDermott walked back the remarks the following day, saying that Diggs’ absence was excused. Diggs participated in practice that day, the Bills then canceled the third day of minicamp and players left on summer break to return with the start of training camp at the end of the month.
While the situation with Diggs appears to have cooled off, Allen’s remarks in a July 4 interview sparked a new controversy and led to criticism from some members of the media.
Josh Allen Points the Finger
In an appearance on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, Allen said he supports his teammate and blamed the media for turning the one-day absence into a major story.
“I love him. That’s my guy,” Allen said of Diggs. “The media has blown this so far out of proportion. We are in rookie or minicamp. We’re not playing a game for four months. He doesn’t show up for one day. He’s still there. Coach asked him to go home. They’re in talks. They’re trying to resolve some things. It wasn’t anything major. And (the) media blew it up. They’re still talking about it. Let it go. There’s no reason to continue talking about it.”
But Allen’s explanation did not sit well with some members of the media, who noted that McDermott’s stern press conference on the day Diggs missed practice was what originally sparked the concern.
“The head coach described himself as ‘concerned.’ But blame the media,” tweeted ESPN’s Ed Werder.
Thad Brown, sports director for WROC-TV in Rochester, added that Allen may have inadvertently made the situation worse by re-addressing it.
“Answer could have been ‘We understand the media has a job to do. When coach says he’s concerned it becomes a talking point. But we’re comfortable things are resolved. Look forward to getting back together at camp,’ ” he tweeted. “Instead, Josh swung at the hornets nest. So he might get stung.”
Bills Moving on After Stefon Diggs Drama
While both Allen and McDermott confirmed that Diggs was sent home on the first day of minicamp after a disagreement with coaching staff, the exact source of this disagreement has not been revealed. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reported that Diggs was unhappy with his role in the offense, but offered no further details.
Whatever issues led to the June 13 absence may now be addressed. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported in a June 26 appearance on the Rich Eisen Show that the team expects Diggs to be in attendance for training camp with no repeats of the minicamp episode.
“I was told pretty adamantly that Diggs would not have been there for that minicamp practice on the field had he not felt that they were in a little better of a place than they were before that Tuesday,” Fowler said. “I do sense that things are positive, and I’m told the Bills fully expect him for training camp. They don’t really expect any funny business here; they do believe they have this resolved.”
