Truth behind Justin Herbert's viral postgame clip

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert's postgame actions ignited significant media discussion this week, drawing criticism and fueling inaccurate claims. The contention followed the Chargers' 22-19 overtime win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Herbert, fresh from a physically demanding game and a recent hand injury, briefly hesitated during an interview with ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge. He told Rutledge, "I'm trying to celebrate with my team," as he walked away before returning to give short answers.

Sports commentator Jason Whitlock, on his "Fearless" show, on Wednesday, sarcastically exaggerated Herbert's two-second hesitation. 

“The way Justin Herbert treated Laura Rutledge for 2 seconds was unacceptable. I’ve never seen that level of rudeness from an NFL player in my life. We should give Laura a Purple Heart. Somebody send me a link to her GoFundMe,” Whitlock wrote on X.

Rutledge, however, publicly defended Herbert. She said, "Rough day at the office 🤣🤣 let’s all have a good laugh and move on!"

Conversely, Kayce Smith from Barstool Sports criticized Herbert. Smith said, 

"Hey bro, you get paid $262 million to play football. When the prime time broadcast wants an interview, you stand there like EVERYBODY ELSE does and do the interview. Grow up. Kudos, @LauraRutledge. Real pro," she added. "Normal behavior!" 

Jon Root, a Faith, Sports & Culture Commentator, pushed back against Smith's narrative. Root said, 

"People like @KayceSmith keeps spreading the narrative that Laura Rutledge went through some egregious disrespect & went as far as sharing more click bait that Justin Herbert cussed out a kid, which is obviously false. The character assassination of Herbert is ridiculous…"

Meanwhile, another viral video clip, shared by NFL insider Dov Kleiman, falsely attributed a profane refusal of a photo request to Herbert. The clip, from after the Chargers' win over the Eagles, showed a young fan in a Jalen Hurts jersey. Analysis later showed the voice belonged to another man in the suite, not Herbert. 

The fan's parents originally posted the clip light-heartedly, indicating no malice or harm perceived. The post garnered over 4.6 million views but drew widespread criticism for spreading inaccurate claims.

One user wrote, "That didn’t even sound like Justin." 

Another wrote, "WHOOOOA 😳😳😳If that quote is real, Justin Herbert woke up and chose FULL WWE HEEL MODE." 

A fan wrote, "He didn’t say that. This is really irresponsible. You should be embarrassed to post this."

The Chargers (9-4) have experienced a series of varied game outcomes in their last four games. They had a 35-6 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC South) in Week 11. This followed a 25-10 defensive masterclass victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North) in Week 10. 

Previously, they secured a gritty 27-20 road win against the Tennessee Titans (AFC South) in Week 9, with Herbert's 250 passing yards and two touchdowns. Before the Eagles game, they posted a dominant 31-14 home win over the Las Vegas Raiders (AFC West) in Week 13, where the defense forced multiple turnovers.