Germaine Pratt on outburst about Joseph Ossai penalty: I was wrong

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt was recorded loudly voicing his opinion on the late hit out of bounds call by teammate Joseph Ossai on Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes that put Kansas City in field goal range for the eventual game-winning try.

“It’s the motherf***ing’ last series,” Pratt said heading into the locker room after the loss. “What the f***. Why the f*** did you touch the quarterback?”

Pratt has now addressed his actions and words toward his teammate by expressing his deep sense of regret of how he acted as a leader of the Bengals’ defense.

“I was in the moment, 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,” Pratt said. “That doesn’t define me as a man. … It’s a reaction that anybody has that’s a competitor. 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.”

Ossai was visibly emotional on the bench following the play. Not only did he tweak his knee during the chase, but he was also responsible for the penalty that led to the field goal that lost his team the game. Some of his teammates came to his aid on the sideline and in the locker room, but Pratt’s emotions got the better of him in the heat of the moment.

Pratt was the Bengals’ second-leading tackler through three playoff games. After finishing with 99 total tackles during the regular season, he notched 20 in the 2023 postseason along with three passes defended.

As the Bengals head into the 2023 offseason, the taste of the AFC Championship game will be fresh in their mouths for the months to come. They’ll hope to turn the frustration of facing playoff defeat into a Super Bowl berth for the second time in three seasons this time next year.