New England Patriots offensive lineman Will Campbell had one of the worst games of his life in Super Bowl LX.
It’s probably not hyperbolic to say that it was the worst…
Campbell — who allowed an atrocious 14 quarterback pressures, per Next Gen Stats — elected not to speak with media in the immediate aftermath of the game, and gave an unprompted explanation for that decision during his end-of-season media availability on Tuesday:
“When I get emotional, I tend to have no mind, and that’s not the way that I need to approach this thing. I know myself, and if I would have spoken after, I would have said something that I didn’t need to say,” Campbell said, per Andrew Callahan of the Boston Globe. “So, I slept on it, I watched it. I know what I got to get better and move on.”
Campbell was aware of the criticism that he has received since the game, and knows that it comes with the territory.
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“It comes with the job. When you don’t perform, obviously, I was (drafted) high, paid a lot,” Campbell said. “So people expect a certain thing, and I expect more of myself. So whenever I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to be like, ‘It’s OK, buddy.’ I mean, obviously it sucks. But it doesn’t suck for anyone more than it sucks for me.”
Campbell would go on to share that he was suffering from a torn ligament in his knee throughout the postseason, though he said that sharing that information wasn’t an excuse.
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The Patriots will depart for their offseason, which will allow those with injuries to heal, on Wednesday.
