Reed fields questions about recent citations
PITTSBURGH – Jeff Reed stood in front of his locker Wednesday and met a mob of Pittsburgh reporters who had questions about Reed being cited by Pittsburgh police Sunday night for simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public intoxication outside a downtown bar. Here’s the transcript:
Q: Your agent said you’re going to fight it. Are you?
A: I’m not going to answer any questions about it. I told my agent to keep his mouth shut because he doesn’t know what’s going on. So if you guys ask him, I told him to tell you the same thing.
Q: Are you satisfied with the way Mike Tomlin and the organization handled this?
A: Very satisfied. I was kind of shocked to hear people ask if I was going to play or not. Stuff like this you just have to deal with. It makes you tougher. And I’m a captain of this team. It may not sound like it when something like this comes up, but I like to represent this team as well as I can. You know that through all the charity stuff I do.
Q: Will this ever be a distraction for you?
A: I apologize for being a distraction to this team. For me, now I can move on. There are other players that have done this and played well, so it’s not an excuse. My job is to make points, kick field goals and kick off for this team, and I will always do my best.
Q: Are you worried at all about a suspension from the league?
A: Not at all. Once all the investigation is done, whatever happens happens, but as for right now it’s going to be a long process.
Q: Is it disappointing that something like this comes up at this point in the season?
A: Very disappointing. You know, after the Chicago game I was down. I’m coming around. The team’s doing great now and I’m contributing like I should. That’s part of it. It’s disappointing but we’ll move forward.
Q: What has been the response by your teammates?
A: All of them told me to keep my head up, don’t worry about it, we need you. Stuff like that keeps me going.
Q: What do you say to the fans?
A: To the fans, I went to the hockey game last night and everybody was real complimentary and real nice to me. They know that I love this community, I love Steeler Nation, so I if I need to apologize to them, I do apologize to them and I will never let this city down.
Q: What investigation are you talking about?
A: I’m not going to answer that.
Q: Is the best way to get past this by putting yourself in the Baltimore kicker’s shoes and make a kick?
A: The best way to get past this is to go to work today and move on. I’m not going look and compare myself to – I’ve been in his shoes before. If it wasn’t Baltimore, man, I’d really feel for him. We need guys in our conference to not do as great, but for him, I’ve been in his shoes before – obviously this year – and I know how that feels. I’m not looking to hit a game-winner, but if it’s necessary, yes.
Q: This game could come down to your leg, couldn’t it?
A: Yeah. And I actually approach every game like that. We always have a bull’s eye on our backs, or chests. But it’s one of those situations where you can call it a distraction all you want. I apologize to the community and to this team and to this organization because that’s very important to me and my family. It’s been embarrassing to be in the news like that, but at the same time my job is to kick field goals and extra points and kick off for this team, and I will.
Q: Is it bad timing for this to happen when you’ll soon be looking for another contract?
A: Not at all. You can’t think like that. Somebody asked me after Chicago that, since it’s a contract year, does that affect how much money you’re going to make. I mean, come on, give me a break.