Julian Edelman gave Pittsburgh Steelers fans a reason to be upset with the comments he made about the team during the week.
The New England Patriots wide receiver was asked about the Antonio Brown Facebook Live controversy and took what some interpreted as a shot at the Steelers.
“Hey, people have different rules,” Edelman said. “That’s how that team is run. I personally don’t think that would be something that would happen in our locker room, but hey whatever. Some people like red and some people like blue. Some people like tulips and some people like roses, whatever.”
The underlying message there is that the Patriots are run better than the Steelers and don’t put up with that sort of stuff.
Was it a shot at the Steelers? Edelman tried to set the record straight by backing off when speaking with the media on Wednesday. Edelman blamed the media for taking his comments out of context.
“Yeah, I mean I think it was taken out of context,” he said, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. “I have nothing but respect for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’re an unbelievable franchise. It starts from the top with the Rooney Family, coach Tomlin, I think they just mis[interpreted] — I mean, I don’t know, I may have said it, but I think more of that was that it’s not the way we would do it here. That’s just how that goes. There was no maliciousness about it, but it’s whatever. That’s what the media does, try to make stories.”
That seems like Edelman realizing he screwed up and trying to backpedal by blaming the media.
Taking shots at other organizations is not “The Patriot Way,” which is likely why he tried to distance himself from any sort of controversy. But you’ve seen his remarks and can judge for yourself what you think he meant.
