(Photo Credit: Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Rhodes apologizes after unsportsmanlike conduct in last game

Xavier Rhodes, a cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings, apologized for his outburst on the sidelines after the Vikings narrowly lost to the Seattle Seahawks. Rhodes appeared to shove a teammate and knock over water bottles after he stormed off the field.

At a press conference, Rhodes apologized to his teammates and his coach, Mark Zimmer.

“That’s not the way I should carry myself, especially as a leader on this team,” Rhodes said. “I apologize definitely to Coach Zim, and the things he’s taught me — I should never react that way toward him or toward my team, period. I know my role, I need to play it better. I need to play better out on that field, eliminate the penalties and just do well. There’s a lot more football going on right now.”

Rhodes hinted that he has “personal issues” he has been battling off the field, although he declined to elaborate on what those issues are.

“I’ve been battling some things, but that’s no excuse. It’s no excuse. When I’m out there on that field, everything I’m battling has to go away,” Rhodes said. “I have to go out there and play for the guy beside me because I know if I mess up like I messed up on that one play, that’s what it’s going to lead up to. I’ve been in this league for a while, seven years, and I should know that. It shouldn’t come to the point where I’m just figuring that out. I know now what I need to work on, what I need to do.”