Ossai’s support system kicks in
Ex-Oak Ridge coach among those backing DE after key penalty
As Cincinnati’s Joseph Ossai sat on the bench in the bitter cold at Arrowhead Stadium late Sunday night, tears streaming from his eyes, Dereck Rush could feel the immense heartbreak from his living room nearly 700 miles away in the Brazos Valley.
Minutes earlier, Ossai, who played for Rush at Oak Ridge High School, was called for a late hit on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with just eight seconds remaining in the AFC Championship Game. The 15-yard penalty moved the Chiefs into field-goal range, and kicker Harrison Butker did the rest with a game-winner from 45 yards out. It handed Kansas City a 2320 victory and ended the Bengals’ bid for a repeat trip to the Super Bowl.
“When the television started showing his emotions on the sideline, it seemed like he was kind of putting the burden on his shoulders that he cost them the game,” Rush, now an athletics administrator with Bryan ISD, said Monday. “But that’s really not the case. I was going to text him this morning and let him know that things don’t always fall your way, but you keep on working hard. He knows all those things, and good things are going to happen for him. Words can’t express how proud I am of how he played last night with his effort. His motor never stops, and he played with a sense of urgency and enthusiasm.”
Ossai, in his second year in the NFL as an edge rusher, was having a strong performance before his late miscue. He posted a career-high five tackles and laid a pair of hits on Mahomes, who was hobbled by a high-an
kle sprain. But the final push in the back came with Mahomes’ foot on the white paint following a first-down scamper to the right sideline, and the penalty flag came flying.
“It’s extremely hard,” Ossai told reporters after the game. “I was in full chase mode, and I was trying to push him to maybe get him going backward, because I knew he was going for that sideline. I was trying to make him go backward, get that clock running. I didn’t know how far out of bounds we were.”
Despite the costly mistake, Ossai was comforted by his teammates after the game. Defensive end Cam Sample was seen sitting next to him on the bench, and several others voiced their support in postgame comments. Defensive tackle B.J. Hill stood by in the locker room as Ossai answered questions.
“Means the world to me,” said Ossai. “These guys mean a lot to me. We come every day, and we work hard for each other. To know that they have my back is giving me peace right now, for sure.”
Defensive tackle D.J. Reader, who played with the Texans before signing with Cincinnati in 2020, was one of the players who offered encouraging words.
“You just build that young guy up and let him understand it’s going to come down to inches in this league,” Reader said. “And he’ll be there to make a lot of plays. … That play is going to find him again. Those roles are going to find him again as a player, and just be ready for it. … This pain is going to drive him to be great. He’ll get there.”
This isn’t the first time Ossai, 22, has faced adversity during his short NFL career. He missed all of his rookie campaign with a knee injury suffered during the 2021 preseason. The Nigerianborn standout was selected by the Bengals in the third round of the NFL draft after an AllAmerica career at Texas.
“This time last year, I was on the couch,” Ossai said. “Just being able to be in this game and being in this stadium, be in this locker room with these guys, it’s a blessing. I thank God for that. I’m sorry things didn’t go our way.”
As a senior at Oak Ridge in 2018, Ossai was one of the most sought-after defensive end recruits in the country. He ultimately joined the Longhorns’ program and garnered plenty of accolades during his college days.
Rush said Ossai has a great support system of family, friends and teammates, and he stressed that one play will not define the rest of his career.
“It’s been great, seeing him grow from Oak Ridge when he first came there as a sophomore, then to see him go on to Texas and do great things there, and now with the Bengals,” Rush said. “He’s been through adversity, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he will bounce back from this little setback, which it’s not really a setback. It’s just one of those things that happens when you’re showing effort and you’re competing and you’re playing fast. But he will bounce back. No doubt about that.”