Giovani Bernard, the running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, struggled against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15.
When Bernard mishandled a fake punt, the Bucs already had a 14-point advantage. As a result of the play, the Bengals were able to rally and win the game by a score of 34 to 23. There were a number of reporters in the locker room after the game, and Bernard was the subject of many interviews. It sparked a heated argument between them.
The video seemed to begin in the middle of a conversation. As Bernard passed by the press, he made a comment that started a brief back-and-forth. “Well, you were injured all year” in addition to “what have you done for us to talk to you all year?”.
Bucs running back Giovani Bernard didn’t want to talk to the media about what happened on the botched fake punt. Here’s that interaction.
Note: As reporters, it is our job to seek clarity on what happened, especially on the most pivotal play of a game. pic.twitter.com/snQSvLE5mA
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) December 19, 2022
Bernard was surprised by the remarks and requested a moment to consult with his family before addressing the media. The events that followed are mysterious. The video ended abruptly after some back-and-forth. Bernard addressed the media once the conversation resumed. He said that the misunderstanding over the play was all his fault. Bernard said the mistake was his again when pressed for details.
Guessing Gio missed fake punt call#GoBucs #Buccaneers #CINvsTB #NFL pic.twitter.com/V1JUXVMOag
— len martez (@LMart810) December 18, 2022
Due to missing segments, the analysis of the footage is complicated. What occurred prior to the activation of the camera is unknown to all of us. Jenna Laine of ESPN said that Bernard did not want to talk to reporters after the game. It’s easy to see why they’d feel that way. Bernard has had a disappointing year, as he has only played in five games and hasn’t had much of a chance to contribute even while fit. In Week 15, when he finally had a shot, everything went disastrously wrong. Undoubtedly, he had regrets over his actions.
Bernard’s mistake was significant, but it wasn’t the deciding factor in the Buccaneers’ loss. Strangely, the postgame conversation was shown even though Bernard admitted responsibility for the mistake.
