Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ running back Gio Bernard had quite the awkward exchange with reporters in the team’s locker room following a botched fake punt Sunday. Some criticized Bernard for how that played out, but others criticized the media. And Brooklyn Nets‘ star Kevin Durant was in that latter camp. First, though, here’s video of what happened with Bernard, from ESPN’s Jenna Laine:
Bucs running back Giovani Bernard didn’t want to talk to the media about what happened on the botched fake punt. Here’s that interaction.
Note: As reporters, it is our job to seek clarity on what happened, especially on the most pivotal play of a game. pic.twitter.com/snQSvLE5mA
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) December 19, 2022
Bernard started with “Oh, now you guys want to talk to me?”, only for one reporter to point out they’d talked Tuesday and Laine to note that Bernard had been on injured reserve (and thus, not available to media) for much of the season. He then said “Can I go to my family that I have outside?”, and then he eventually responded to all questions with some form of “I was the one that did it,” ignoring what reporters were actually asking about if he knew the call.
As noted, those actions drew both criticism and praise for Bernard. Durant (seen above on the Nets’ bench during a Dec. 16 game), who’s had plenty of exchanges of his own with various media members over the years, definitely wound up on the “praise” side. And he used this as an opportunity to bash the “entitled clickbait media” (a phrase we’re hearing a bunch lately). Here’s how he weighed in on Twitter:
Giovani handled this like a true pro. https://t.co/LJsMzDhtrf
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) December 19, 2022
Entitlement in this world has gone to another level. Media believes they are responsible for the popularity of the game
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) December 19, 2022
We can survive without spoiled, entitled clickbait media…there are some good people who simply love to cover the sport
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) December 19, 2022
Fans and playas. Don’t be disrespectful ya prick
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) December 19, 2022
Yes, Bernard doesn’t actually have to answer media questions. Even in cases where media appearances are mandated (typically press conferences, but not locker room interviews), the penalty is only a fine (as Durant and his team are well aware of). And showing up with a no comment or some version of that can even avoid those financial penalties. But, if that was the desired outcome for Bernard, there are seemingly ways to do that without going to “Oh, now you guys want to talk to me?” (of course reporters want to offer him the chance to give his perspective on a crucial play, and his injuries this year meant there weren’t many opportunities to talk to him before this), and ways to just say “No comment” and leave rather than repeating “I was the one who did it” without answering the question.
This is also part of a larger history of media pushback from Durant. And it’s not particularly surprising that he feels this way given some of his past media dust-ups. (And in some of those, he’s had a point, although that’s frequently been more about exchanges with debate show personalities than reporters in locker rooms.) But it is interesting to see him firmly spell out his stance on “spoiled, entitled clickbait media,” and to claim that media aren’t responsible for sports’ popularity, and to use this particular incident as an example of being “a true pro.”
[Photo from Nick Turchiaro/USA Today Sports]
