Ever since he inadvertently injured Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee and Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson last season, Detroit Lions star safety Kerby Joseph has been labeled as a dirty player by some.
And, that label might have hurt Joseph’s bid for his first Pro Bowl nod in 2024, which is something Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn hinted at. Joseph was in the lead at free safety following the fan portion of voting, but he ultimately fell short once the votes of players and coaches came in.
During a recent appearance the “NFL Spotlight with Ari Meirov” podcast, the subject of the label on Joseph was broached, and Joseph had strong words for anyone who thinks he’s a dirty player.
“I don’t care about nobody’s opinion, for real,” Joseph said. “This is football. When you sign up to play this game, you sign up for injuries. … The people complaining about dirty hits — they just soft. They don’t know football.
“I feel like I got that narrative because old boy (Matthew Stafford) wanted to come and talk crazy because he mic’d up,” Joseph added.
Joseph is referencing a mic’d up clip that featured former Lions and current Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford calling him “dirty as f***.”
“Hey, that’s a good hit. That’s a good hit. You dirty as f*** though and you know it,” Stafford said to Joseph. “You dirty as f***. It’s been on tape. I’ve seen it.”
Joseph was not flagged or fined for either hit, and even Hockenson didn’t think Joseph meant to hurt him.
“I know Kerby pretty well. I’ve played with him. I don’t necessarily think it was [intended to injure],” he said last April. “You go back on the tape and you see what happened. I don’t think it was [intentional]. I just want to make sure it wasn’t and that’s why I’m using my voice here. Players protect players. That’s in any facet of the league. You don’t want a defensive guy head-hunting or knee- hunting, and the same thing for an offensive guy.”
While we can’t say for sure that the label was behind Joseph’s Pro Bowl snub, there really is no other explanation. Joseph’s numbers were so far and above better than everyone else at his position that it’s simply inexcusable he didn’t get the nod.
Joseph took the snub all in stride and he ended up getting the more important honor, which was a first-team All-Pro nod.
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