For those unaware, Jabrill Peppers made some private comments after New England’s Week 12 loss that were made public. Those words were not complimentary toward his team or organization, which is having a rough season. After the video of this incident spread like wildfire, Peppers apologized for what he said when speaking with the media on Friday. Take a look below:
Jabrill Peppers apologizes for his “we ass” mic’ed up comment from last week pic.twitter.com/GVhunTmuKg
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) December 1, 2023
However, outside of issuing an apology for having this become a locker-room distraction, Jabrill Peppers had other things to add. He had this to say about the state of the team:
“At the end of the day, we’re 2-9, we got a top-five pick in the draft and that didn’t come via trade. We all know the standard, we all know what it’s supposed to look like and it’s just not that right now. It’s not no shot at anybody in the locker room.”
Later, Peppers stated:
“We have good players, great players, in the locker room, but every team has great players. … And if those great and good players aren’t executing, that team isn’t a good team. But that doesn’t speak to the character of men we’ve got in this locker room. … The ball just hasn’t been rolling in our favor and that’s on no one but us.”
That sounds like the words of a man who knows what he said is true. To that point, he was critical of the footage being released. Peppers remarked during the presser:
“They know I speak my mind. Just got caught on the hot mic, man. That’s all that was…I don’t think it was right that they put that out. A lot of things get said on that football field. I know there’s multiple people mic’d up game in and game out that they don’t put out, so I was kind of taken aback by that. At the end of the day, I own that. I own everything I say and I’m not running from it.”
As a professional, those initial words about the team aren’t ones that should be coming out of his mouth publicly, as it’s a bad look from multiple angles. However, it’s hard to find the lie. He hasn’t been punished by the organization, at least not that the public is aware of.
Will Jabrill Peppers Be a Patriot Next Year
The short answer is probably. While the New England Patriots of years past would’ve probably let him go already, the 2023 iteration can not afford to move on from anyone productive. Jabrill Peppers, who signed a two-year deal with the franchise this offseason, shouldn’t be going anywhere, even if he’s critical of the team’s current state.
So, this situation is likely to come and go, a footnote in the New England Patriots 2020s recap. Jabrill Peppers got caught bashing his teammates, but nothing came of it but chuckles and agreeance from New Englanders. The 90s are back, and the 2-9 Patriots are invoking the performances of those early 1990s teams. Jabrill Peppers is just the only one involved not afraid to say it.
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