It remains to be seen whether Cincinnati Bengals rookie wideout Jermaine Burton will get a chance to contribute on Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens.
But the fallout of Burton missing a pregame walkthrough and resulting in a shredded gameplan last weekend, leading to punishment from Zac Taylor, continues.
Bengals veterans were asked about the situation last weekend and into this week and the theme was clear: accountability.
In his postgame presser, Joe Burrow said that the pro schedule isn’t for the “faint of heart” and added: “It’s not college. You’re here early, late a couple days…it’s an adjustment period when you get in the league.”
Most responses followed a similar theme, with Ja’Marr Chase saying this later in the week: “He’s a grown man. I’ve had a conversation with him. He knows right from wrong. So I’m not going to constantly keep telling you something. I don’t expect Tee to do that to me.”
Mike Hilton followed a similar track, according to Sports Illustrated’s James Rapien: “When you get to this point in your career you gotta grow up. You’re a grown man. Nobody is going to baby you anymore.”
Sam Hubbard, meanwhile, went this way, as noted by the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith: “Young guys sometimes just need someone to be on their side and help them through this. You never know what people are going through.”
The message seems clear enough. The fact Bengals players spoke of it like this speaks to the culture of the program as a whole.
Now, the ball is very much in Burton’s court.
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