Reed’s explanation should quiet fans who were grumbling over his apparent exultation during a blowout
Some things are bigger than football.
Late in the New York Jets‘ 24-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, free agent acquisition D.J. Reed elevated for a spectacular interception of Lamar Jackson. Following the pick, he ran to the middle of the field, dropped to his knees, bowed his head, and raised his arms to the sky.
With the team down multiple scores, Reed drew some criticism on social media for this apparent decision to celebrate. The only thing is, he wasn’t celebrating.
When asked about the play in a postgame interview, Reed explained what was really going on: his father passed away earlier in the day, and he was dedicating the interception to him.
Be careful when criticizing. You have no idea what a person is going through. DJ Reed got an interception & paid tribute while getting blown out. Some "fans" didn't like it at the time. But listen to why he did it in my exclusive Jets Late Night interview… RIP Dennis Reed Sr. pic.twitter.com/foXkJIAIt2
— Otis Livingston (@OlivingstonTV) September 12, 2022
“My dad passed away literally right before this game,” he said. “I was emotional, still emotional… so that pick was for my dad. It wasn’t celebrating… That was much deeper than football.”
Reed later took to social media himself to further pay tribute to his father.
That was for you pops💔🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/lzTPyZtNVR
— DJ Reed (@D7_Reed) September 11, 2022
💔🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/wtUFp7dQVs
— DJ Reed (@D7_Reed) September 11, 2022
Needless to say, most tweets criticizing Reed’s decision to “celebrate” his interception have since been deleted.
Although the game’s outcome did not go the way the Jets had hoped, it was as good a debut in Green and White as Reed could have hoped for. Pro Football Focus gave him a 90.3 grade, the third-best among all corners across the league (pending tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup between the Seahawks and Broncos).
Reed justified that grade by yielding zero receptions on six targets (five per Next Gen Stats), recording a pass breakup and that leaping interception.
Jets top two corners as the nearest defender today, per @NextGenStats:
Reed: 0 receptions allowed on 5 targets over 29 coverage snaps.
Gardner: 2 receptions allowed for 19 yards on 4 targets over 29 coverage snaps.
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) September 11, 2022
The new Jets corner certainly paid fitting tribute to his dad with his play. While not as flashy as Brett Favre’s four-touchdown performance in the same tribute or Kwon Alexander’s epic production in memory of his slain brother, Reed honored his father on an emotional day.
