Kadarius Toney offers new explanation for his viral rant

Nov 5, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany, ; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (19) looks on before an NFL International Series game against the Miami Dolphins at Deutsche Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney is still trying to talk his way out of the embarrassing rant he went on hours before the AFC Championship Game, and he has provided yet another explanation.

Toney was inactive for Kansas City’s 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. That marked the sixth consecutive game in which he was not active. The Ravens listed Toney as out due to a hip injury and “personal” reason.

In a vulgar Instagram Live rant not long before kickoff, Toney said he was “not hurt” and called the injury designation “cap,” which is slang for lying. You can see the video here.

Toney was asked about the video during Opening Night ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Monday. He claimed his comments were directed toward New York Giants fans and that he “never said anything about the Chiefs.”

“It kind of started that, but in the process I got interrupted. So it got like a mixed message behind it, I guess you could say,” Toney said. “Then a lot of footage got chopped up in the release, so it made it look like I was attacking the one I love the most. I never attacked the Chiefs, never said anything about the Chiefs. Who I was referring to was the Giants fans in the comments and my comment box, not even on my live recording, so you wouldn’t even know they were there.

“I just wanted to go out there and get my message across as far as my injury, but I shouldn’t have did that. At the end of the day, I’m a man. I can accept my mistakes just like I accept my wins.”

Kadarius Toney says he wasn't attacking the #Chiefs in his recent IG live that went viral. He says he was trying to go after #Giants fans, but he admits he shouldn't be doing that.pic.twitter.com/K69s3873Qi

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 6, 2024

Even if Toney was responding to Giants fans who commented during his Instagram Live (he has gone at them in the past), he was clearly talking about the Chiefs. He essentially said he was not injured and that someone should tell people “what’s really going on with this s—.” Toney also claimed on Saturday that someone edited the footage to make him look bad.

What likely happened is that Toney was benched for poor play but the team was trying to do him a favor by giving him an injury designation. He only made himself look bad by saying he was not injured.

The last time Toney played was when the Chiefs beat the New England Patriots in Week 15. He had a brutal dropped pass in that game that led to an interception (video here). The week before, Toney committed a crucial blunder that cost Kansas City a win against the Buffalo Bills.

Toney has been taken off the injury report ahead of the Super Bowl, so he may have a chance to make an impact against the San Francisco 49ers. If he can find a way to do that, Chiefs fans will quickly forget about everything else.