Yahoo Finance A.J. Green addresses loafing on INT, whether he said 'trade me,' admits he has to handle frustration better
It’s a bad day when you’re caught doing something you shouldn’t on video and it goes viral. It’s even worse when it happens twice in the same game.
A.J. Green had a rough Week 5, which continues a miserable season for the Cincinnati Bengals receiver. Last Sunday he gave little effort on an interception (which he admitted to) and maybe said on the sideline the Bengals should trade him if they’re not going to use him (which he didn’t admit to).
Green said he didn’t want to be traded from the Bengals but admitted he’s frustrated and has to handle it better.
A.J. Green had two viral clips
The clip of Green running aimlessly to avoid making a tackle after a Baltimore Ravens interception was so egregious, it’s hard to not laugh. Though Bengals coach Zac Taylor probably was not tickled by the clip.
The ball was way over AJ Green’s head. Ok. He makes a decision on an uncatchable ball. But AJ was most definitely not trying to tackle Marcus Peters at the end of this return. 😂 pic.twitter.com/stqlyOcC6Q
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) October 11, 2020
Then Twitter tried lip-reading when Green was shown on the sideline talking to director of player relations Eric Ball after Green had left the game with a hamstring injury. It’s hard to tell but Green might have told Ball, “just trade me.”
I hate doing this but...
Does AJ Green say “Just trade me” at the end?
I’m not the best lip reader
pic.twitter.com/O6hjs8RhY5— Fantasy HQ (@RealFantasyHQ) October 11, 2020
For the record, Green didn’t confirm that’s what he said.
“I don’t know if that’s accurate,” Green said, according to The Athletic. “I think they’re just trying to reach for something. If you’re a professional lip reader … I was talking to [Ball], so I don’t think whatever came out … People are going to say whatever. It was just a lot of frustration.”
But he did admit a few times to the media that’s he’s frustrated. He has just 14 catches for 119 yards and other Bengals receivers are playing more than him.
The NFL’s trade deadline is Nov. 3.
Green says he doesn’t want a trade
Green did admit to loafing on the interception and not handling his frustration well. Green said “I feel like I let my teammates down” and he was disappointed “because that's not who I am as a person and as a player.”
"To go out there and loaf on the interception and freaking on the sideline talking, even though I wasn't talking about that situation, I just can't put that out there," Green said, according to the team’s site. "Just for my teammates, being one of the captains. I just have to do a better job handling my frustration."
Green said he has talked to Taylor, quarterback Joe Burrow, his parents and other guys around the league about his frustrating season.
Everything that happened Sunday, Green’s diminishing role and the Bengals’ 1-3-1 record in a rebuilding season, would seemingly indicate the Bengals and Green would be open to a trade. He said that’s not true, and he wants to be in Cincinnati.
"I think we're building something special here and I just want to be a part of the team and help us win," Green said.
We’ll find out what the team does. But based on everything going on in Cincinnati, it seems like Green might be the NFL’s biggest name to get traded in the next couple weeks.
