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Reporters apologize to Buccaneers’ Giovani Bernard after clip of tense interaction garnered backlash

Dec 22, 2022

The two reporters who, in the postgame, approached and badgered Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Giovani Bernard after he fumbled a botched fake punt in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals have both apologized to him privately.

ESPN’s Jenna Laine posted a video from the Buccaneers' locker room with the caption, "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."

The video garnered a fair amount of backlash and criticism, with many questioning why it was even posted.

Laine addressed the situation with a written statement shared to Twitter on Wednesday.

She explained that she apologized to Bernard first and wanted to wait until she “fully understood the missteps” she took before publicly apologizing.

Source: Yahoo Sports

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