by Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant praises Bucs running back Giovani Bernard for treating reporters ‘like a real pro’ after awkward locker room swap following his sloppy fake punt… as NBA star slams the media for his “right”
- The two-time NBA champion took to Twitter to slam ‘the media’ on Monday
- Durant also replied to a fan that “these journalists are so full of themselves”
- Bernard’s third-quarter error on Sunday sparked a comeback win for Cincinnati
- The 31-year-old attempted to leave the Bucs locker room without answering any questions
- Click here for all your latest international sports news from DailyMail.com
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has praised Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Giovani Bernard for handling his awkward exchange with two media reporters ‘like a real pro’ after being asked about a fake punt in Sunday’s 34-23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
A clip of the NFL player has gone viral on social media after he stood up to speak to reporters following what appeared to have been a row between the two sides.
“The rights in this world have gone to another level,” Durant said on social media. “The media thinks they are responsible for the popularity of the game.”
The two-time NBA champion was responding to a fan who tweeted that “these reporters are so full of themselves.”
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant cheered on Bucs running back Giovani Bernard after defending himself against reporters following a 34-23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Bernard originally didn’t want to answer questions about a fake punt attempt he missed in the third quarter of Sunday’s game.
After taking a 17-3 halftime lead on Sunday, the Bucs suffered five straight turnovers in a nightmarish second half to lose back-to-back games this month after being blown out by the San Francisco 49ers the last week (7-35).
Unfortunately for Bernard, things started to go downhill for Tampa Bay in the third quarter after he missed a fake punt on a fourth-and-one with 13:34 left.
The running back didn’t control the ball well and had to go down quickly on the loose ball for a two-yard loss at the Tampa Bay 16-yard line. The Bucs held the Bengals to one field goal and still led 17-6 after that mistake. However, Bernard’s blunder sparked a string of errors that saw the Bengals get back in the game and beat the Bucs 17-0 in the third quarter to take a 20-17 lead.
Cincinnati would go on to beat their opponent, 31-6 in the second half.
Bernard’s Sunday didn’t seem to improve after the game as he tried to leave the Bucs locker room without answering questions from reporters. When approached, a feeling of tension ensues.
The 31-year-old even dared to ask reporters why they wanted to talk to him when they rarely asked for his comments this season.
At one point, a reporter can be heard asking, “What did you do to keep us talking to you all year? »
Bernard has only played five games for the Bucs this season due to an ankle injury and ESPN’s Jenna Laine could be heard telling the player, “You’ve been injured all year!”
‘Can I go to my family that I have outside?’ Bernard then asked.
‘You can. Don’t say we haven’t spoken to you all year,’ another reporter replied.
Bernard, 31, has only played five games for the Bucs this season due to an ankle injury
Moving on from the awkward exchange, Bernard answered questions but repeatedly provided the same answer over and over again when asked about his fumble on the fake punt attempt.
“Miscommunication, that’s all there was from me,” the former Bengals running back said. “I take complete blame for that.”
“It was all me,” he added when asked if he knew the game and if the team had played it before.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles later confirmed that the team did not execute his idea as planned.
“He missed the ball,” said the 59-year-old. “Yes, we needed a meter. We got it. We practiced it all week. We just didn’t manage the football.
The Bucs are now 6-8 after Sunday’s loss but still lead the NFC South despite being below .500 odds. Tampa Bay will next face the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Day.
