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Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Fires Back at Critics After ‘Hot Mic’ Moment: ‘Ain’t No Diva’

Justin Jefferson was caught cursing his quarterback during a hot mic moment. But now the Minnesota Vikings rookie receiver wants to make sure no one thinks he’s a “diva.”

Jefferson tweeted: “Y’all love blowing stuff our of proportion. And I ain’t no diva, don’t get it twisted.” It was a reply to the video from Sunday’s game. In the video, you can clearly hear Jefferson voice his displeasure with quarterback Kirk Cousins.

So What Happened With Justin Jefferson and Cousins?

Let’s set the scene. Minnesota already was trailing Chicago by two touchdowns late in the second quarter, Sunday. But the Vikings were deep into Bears territory late in the first half.

On the play in question, a pass rush from Chicago flushed Cousins from the pocket. Cousins rolled to his left and threw off the back of his foot. Jefferson was in the end zone and appeared to be covered. Cousins threw way too high.

There was a boom mic near Jefferson. It picked up what he said. With no crowd in the stands, it’s also easier to hear everything the players say, curse words and all. Jefferson tossed a verbal F-bomb Cousins way and called him out for the bad throw.

No one accused Jefferson of being a diva. But he did say what he said. That’s clear. Plus, Jefferson is a rookie. It can be a bad look for a rookie to question the quarterback.

The Vikings official Twitter account also retweeted Jefferson.

Minnesota probably doesn’t want this to blow up into another public relations problem. In March, the Vikings traded receiver Stefon Diggs to Buffalo. Before the trade, friction developed between Diggs and Cousins. But Diggs, writing in the Players Tribunal, lauded Cousins after the trade. He wrote of Cousins:

“He is a man who has invited me into his home. Introduced me to his family. Put in the extra hours with us. He’s a guy who, through all the ups and downs over the last couple of years, I’ve developed a tremendous amount of appreciation and respect for. I’m definitely going to miss playing with and learning from him.”

For a rookie, Jefferson, the All-American from LSU, is enjoying a spectacular season. On Sunday, he broke Randy Moss’ rookie record with the Vikings for most receptions in a season. He now has 73 for 1,182 yards and seven touchdowns. Moss caught 69 passes during the 1998 season.