Bengals LB Germaine Pratt Explains Outburst About Late Hit on Patrick Mahomes

Cameras caught the linebacker screaming in frustration while walking to the locker room after the AFC championship game.

The Bengals’ loss to the Chiefs in the closing seconds of the AFC championship game was made all the more painful by the fashion in which they lost. Cincinnati defensive end Joseph Ossai’s unnecessary roughness penalty for a late hit on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the game’s final minute put Kansas City within field goal range, and kicker Harrison Butker responded with the winning 45-yard kick. 

Naturally, fans voiced their frustration with the mental mistake by Ossai—including one of his own teammates. While walking into the locker room after the loss, Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt was caught on video screaming, “Why the f--- he touch the quarterback?”

The video went viral, and it appears Pratt has addressed it via the comments section of an Instagram post, according to Elise Jesse of All Bengals. 

“Yep ppl will post anything on social media for likes and views,” he said. “I have real feelings sometimes they are raw.”

Germaine Pratt put a response under the video that is picking up steam. It caught his emotional reaction as he walked back to the locker room after the loss to KC in the AFC Championship. pic.twitter.com/kALBDCQzfs

— Elise Jesse (@EliseJesseTV) January 30, 2023

Later on Monday, Pratt spoke with reporters and expressed regret for the manner in which he responded to the late hit.

“I was in the moment,” Pratt said, per ESPN’s Ben Baby. “I was wrong. I would say I was wrong. As a man you can look yourself in the mirror and say I was wrong. I wasn’t a great teammate in that moment. That doesn’t define me as a man.

“It’s a reaction that anybody has that’s a competitor,” he continued. “You know what was at stake in that moment. I love this game, no doubt about it.

“They talk about my character as a teammate. Some people never played this game. They don’t know how much effort guys put in the game.”

When asked if he’d spoken with Ossai since the penalty was committed, Pratt said he “went around and talked to every guy” following Sunday night’s loss.