It all started during January's Wild Card Game. Lions safety Kerby Joseph made a questionable low hit on Rams tight end Tyler Higbee. Rams, and former Lions, quarterback Matthew Stafford took offense to the hit and was captured on the field calling Joseph a dirty player.
"Hey! Hey! Hey, that’s a good hit. That’s a good hit, (but) you’re dirty as f*ck, though, and you know it,” Stafford said. “You’re dirty as f*ck. It’s been on tape. I’ve seen it. Hey, it’s been on tape.”
The prevailing angle here has been that Joseph could have injured himself with his tackling form on the Higbee hit, which head coach Dan Campbell more or less confirmed.
Before the season-opening rematch between the Lions and Rams, Stafford showed he hasn't let go of his idea Joseph is a dirty player.
"The deal last year, I don't like it when guys, for one reason or another, take shots at guys that I feel like are not the way the game should be played at that moment," Stafford said. "That was something that had been on tape, in previous weeks he had done that. And you look back in games past our game, the same thing was showing up."
Kerby Joseph explains why he didn't keep ball from Week 1 interception
The first of Joseph's two interceptions already this season came in Week 1 against the Rams. Much like the interception in Week 3, it was in the end zone and proved to be an important play in a close win for the Lions.
Joseph was a guest on "Up and Adams" with Kay Adams on Friday. He said he has kept the ball from every interception in his career, except one.
"Not the Matthew Stafford one. I gave that one away." Adams asked why he gave that one away, and Joseph had a pointed response.
"I ain't want that one. I don't want that in my house, no bad energy in my house."
Joseph said he gave the ball from the Stafford interception to the Lions security director. He clearly considers the Rams' signal caller a purveyor of "bad energy", which is understandable after Stafford called him a dirty player eight months ago and clearly can't let it go. The interception had to feel good as a bit of vindication, but not good enough for Joseph to want to keep the ball.