Marcus Mariota, the NFL quarterback of the Tennessee Titans, admitted Wednesday that he got "an earful" from his mother after a curt interview with reporters Sunday and apologized to the media, The Tennessean reported.
Mariota struggled in Tennessee's 12-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Tempe, going 16 of 31 passing for 159 yards and two interceptions, leaving him with a career-high 14 for the season, the newspaper said.
After practice Wednesday at Arizona State University, Mariota went to the microphone to apologize to reporters for the tone of his terse Sunday briefing, explaining the inspiration for the apology came from his mom, Alana Deppe-Mariota.
"Real quick, I want to say I am sorry for the way I handled the press conference (on Sunday)," Mariota said, according to The Tennessean. "I know not everybody that was there is here. But I was rude and inappropriate, and I just want to say I apologize for it.
"It's funny, because I got an earful of it from my mom, so that's how I was raised and I appreciate you guys understanding," he continued.
The Titans are 8-5, one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4) for first place in the AFC South and in a prime position for a playoff berth in the conference. Mariota won the Heisman Trophy as college football's best player in 2014 after leading Oregon to a standout season, noted ESPN.
Many on social media thought Mariota did not need to apologize, given what is heard from other players during press conferences in the NFL, but they sided with his mother.
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