Justin Reid apologized to 1 Bengals player for pregame trash talk

Sep 11, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid (20) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Justin Reid had to wear it Sunday after his team failed to back up his trash talk in a 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Reid was sorry for what he said, or at least one specific aspect of it.

Reid said after Sunday’s game that he had apologized to Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst for failing to give Hurst the proper respect. Reid had initially confused Hurst with Rams tight end Tyler Higbee, then pledged to “lock down” Hurst while seemingly discussing Tee Higgins. Reid had clarified on Twitter that he meant Hurst, but that everything he said still held true.

Chiefs Safety Justin Reid when asked by @fox4sports @HaroldRKuntz3 if he regrets anything he said earlier in the week. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/YEmA5vpnR3

— Rob Collins (@RCFOX4KC) December 5, 2022

“I didn’t give the proper respect to Hayden Hurst in this game,” Reid said. “I apologized to him for that. I still feel confident and always will be confident in our team and our defense to go out and play tough football.”

In other words, Reid is sorry for forgetting Hurst’s name, but is not backing down from the other trash talk. That’s fair, though no matter who the remarks were actually directed at, they did not go over well with Reid’s coach.

Hurst was limited to two catches for 12 yards Sunday, so if shutting him down really was Reid’s focus, he more or less did so. On the other hand, Hurst is hardly the centerpiece of the Cincinnati offense, and in a game where the Bengals posted 431 total yards, Reid wasn’t left with much to crow about overall.