Tim Benz: Bengals LB Joseph Ossai isn’t acting like a media victim, so let’s stop trying to turn him into one
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Fret not for Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Joseph Ossai. He’s been positioned as a media victim by Twitter.
It’s the safest, most protected spot in the world. No one can criticize him now.
I mean, apparently, no media member can even ask him a question without a “DEFCON 1” online rebuke.
Ironically enough, in some cases, that scolding is coming from others in sports media.
If you are unfamiliar with Ossai, he’s the Bengals linebacker who was flagged for a late hit on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. As a result of the 15-yard penalty tacked on at the end of a Mahomes’ scramble, the Chiefs got to try a 45-yard field goal with only seconds remaining in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. Kicker Harrison Butker split the uprights.
Mahomes gives it his all for the first down!
????: #CINvsKC on CBS
????: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/fM5ertlhHi pic.twitter.com/z78Phcfkyp— NFL (@NFL) January 30, 2023
So the Chiefs advanced to the Super Bowl and the Bengals’ AFC title defense ended in disappointment. Not only was Ossai physically injured during the play. He was seen after the loss overcome with sadness because he drew the decisive penalty that cost his team a shot in overtime.
Joseph ossai crying on the bench???????? pic.twitter.com/ILxHcsNfg6
— soggypickles1234 (@DanCafri) January 30, 2023
That’s a shame. Ossai obviously cares deeply about his team and immediately understood the gravity of his mistake. It’s hard to see any athlete have to deal with the weight of carrying a loss like that on his shoulders. Based on his postgame interviews, Ossai seems like a good person who was trying to be accountable for his error. Unfortunately, he was the main story for the wrong reason on Sunday.
Predictably, though, those camera shots brought a wave of criticism from arm-chair network television directors and Twitter panderers who said it was in “poor taste” to show shots of Ossai crying on the bench.
Ok CBS, you showed Joseph Ossai crying twice already. No need to keep showing it.
— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) January 30, 2023
Bro this CBS crew is doing Ossai sooo dirty by showing him crying over and over like this. Just super inappropriate
— Boltfanindenver (@boltfanindenver) January 30, 2023
CBS cameramen showing Ossai crying on the bench for the 4th time in 3 minutes pic.twitter.com/QKUpOXqEwj
— Disappointed Father (@SpicyTakesOnly) January 30, 2023
CBS is cruel for showing Ossai crying on the sideline that many times
— Ryan Valenta (@ryan_valenta) January 30, 2023
CBS repeatedly showing Joseph Ossai crying during the worst moment in his life is disgusting
— Josh Schwartz (@jschwartz_2) January 30, 2023
“Cruel”? “Disgusting”?
Really? I kinda thought television sports was built on the premise of “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that phrase somewhere bef…
Never mind. That was in 1974, when a TV audience wanted to get closer to the story. Now we live in 2023 when most viewers assume that they are never supposed to have an unpleasant moment, let alone be shown one on TV.
But Twitter wasn’t done giving us its modern-day sports journalism master class at that point. Nor were Twitter subscribers finished doing what they do best — seeking their own likes and retweets on the media victim’s behalf in the name of “compassion.”
You see, not only was it inappropriate to show Ossai’s reaction on the field, but Twitter also thought it was inappropriate to even ask Ossai about the play in the locker room. Credit Michael Niziolek of Cleveland.com for this video.
This was the scene at Joseph Ossai’s locker with B.J. Hill stepping in to provide support https://t.co/8vn1OOlhOQ pic.twitter.com/nbUnoCkzfp
— Michael Niziolek (@michaelniziolek) January 30, 2023
Bengals teammate B.J. Hill is the player standing next to Ossai. Hill is a starting defensive lineman. He doesn’t need to moonlight as a Bengals media relations staffer.
What was Hill’s goal there, exactly? To look tough and get himself over as a locker room enforcer or something? To intimidate reporters or cut off any questions he personally didn’t like?
I assume Hill thought he was acting as a big brother of sorts. But to me, it looks like Hill felt Ossai wasn’t tough enough to handle the questions on his own.
Hill tried to “baby-face” Ossai. Instead, he just made Ossai look like an actual baby that couldn’t take care of his own business. That’s silly because I thought Ossai comported himself gracefully, with class and didn’t seem to need the help of Hill glowering over his shoulder.
However, if many folks on Twitter had their way, no questions would’ve been asked of Ossai at all.
So glad to see B.J. Hill step up like this. He said it perfectly – ????ask????a????real????question!
The fact that these reporters keep pushing and pushing, asking same thing over and over…smh. Be better. https://t.co/HmjnuhEART
— Katie Gaus (@katie_gaus) January 30, 2023
It’s disgusting that the media come rushing into the locker room to bombard @joseph_ossai. Give the dude a break and question the refs for all of the other calls they missed during the game. Mad love and respect to ya, Ossai. @Bengals #WhoDeyNation until next year..
— LxTroll (@lxmac86) January 30, 2023
Shout out to B.J. Hill for having Ossai's back in the locker room, standing next to him and supporting him and protecting him while the reporters hounded him. That's true leadership right there
— Calvin Williams (@CalvinTaffs) January 30, 2023
I hope Joseph Ossai is okay. Media needs to back off. The kids 22 years old. Worry about his mental health going forward.
— Daniel Kamin (@daniel_kamin) January 30, 2023
If you blame Ossai for the loss, just say you’re a temporary NFL fan. He was amazing all game, refs were abysmal and the O.L. couldn’t block all game. Props to B.J. Hill for being that amazing locker room guy teams need. A lot of “reporters” just want to stir the pot for a story.
— Matt Pasco (@mpasco26) January 30, 2023
Ouch! My eyes! The virtue signaling is so bright I think I’ve gone blind.
Go back through those tweets again. “Pushing and pushing”! “Stir the pot.” “Back off.” “Reporters hounded/bombarded him.”
Please!
In my opinion, there wasn’t a single question to Ossai that was rude or out of line. Nor did the interview last an exorbitant amount of time. That clip was barely over two minutes long. And at least 15 seconds of it was Hill interrupting and puffing his chest.
By the way, we need to stop wielding the phrase “mental health” in sports as a cudgel of convenience. When the connection between the importance of mental health and sports started to increase in recent years, it was a good thing.
Awareness was heightened so as to make serious issues such as depression, anxiety, burnout and physical disorders resulting from excessive emotional strain more tangible, understood and normalized within the athletics community.
Now it’s being used as a catchall to excuse anyone from criticism after a tough game or bad play. That’s not the same thing and doing so cheapens an otherwise critical message.
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I don’t know much about economics, but I do know that the strongest currency in the world right now is online sanctimony. And situations like Ossai’s make for a bull market.
Speaking of bull, it’s bull (something) that some of those sentiments I’ve embedded above are coming from people who consider themselves to be in the sports journalism business (and trust me, there were dozens more I could’ve posted).
I’m sorry, but if you are covering that game as a sports journalist and you don’t seek comment from Ossai, then you aren’t doing your job.
At least the job as I was instructed to perform it. I always thought our duty as reporters was to tell the story of what happened through facts, stats, quotes, explanations and (if called for) opinions.
Nowadays, the expectation of sports media from fans seems to be more about honing the preferred narrative of the team or the athlete in question and advancing that narrative in a few hundred characters or less, tagging it with a heart emoji and hitting “Tweet.”
In the end, Ossai made a mistake. At first, the emotions understandably got the best of him. But he sucked it up and handled it like a pro.
So let’s stop treating him like a child.
And let’s stop using his misfortune as a fulcrum to bolster our collective sense of self-worth on Twitter.