Minkah Fitzpatrick declines to clarify 'Jets being Jets' controversy following loss to Raiders

New York Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick raised some eyebrows when he seemed to say after the club's 38-33 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders that dropped New York to 2-6 on Nov. 1 that the defeat was the result of "Jets being Jets." 

A Jets spokesperson later insisted that Fitzpatrick either said or meant to say that "Jets beating Jets," which would indicate he felt he and his teammates were their own worst enemies against the Raiders. On Thursday, Fitzpatrick had an opportunity to reveal what he actually said. 

Jets' locker room was fine with what Minkah Fitzpatrick did and/or didn't say

"It really hasn’t caught any stir in this locker room, and I think that’s the most important thing," Fitzpatrick said about his original comment, per Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News. "Everybody in this locker room knew what I was talking about. If you look at the context of what I said, if you look at what I’ve been saying all season, Jets not beating Jets or Jets beating Jets, everybody in this locker room knew what I said. And in my opinion, that’s all that matters." 

According to Staley, Fitzpatrick addressed the matter with linebacker and team captain Demario Davis. That said, Fitzpatrick did not necessarily confirm his original comment wasn't a version of the "same old Jets" line often used by members of a frustrated fan base who follow the team responsible for the longest active postseason drought among the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and MLS (likely about to be 16 seasons). 

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jets are moving on from whatever was said

The Jets next play at the 5-2 Kansas City Chiefs this coming Sunday. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Gang Green as a 10-point road underdog for that matchup. 

"I know what I said, and that’s all that I’m going to say," Fitzpatrick continued. "It doesn’t matter. We are playing Kansas City this week. The locker room knows what I said or what I meant to say, however you want to put it. I know what I said. I know what I said, what I meant to say." 

Fitzpatrick added that all that matters "is the Jets need a win." Assuming they don't get a victory in Kansas City, whispers about the club possibly parting ways with head coach Aaron Glenn before the season comes to an end may grow louder.