Bears coach Ben Johnson isn’t apologizing for smack-talking a rival.
Two days after his “[Screw] the Packers” locker room rant went viral, Johnson didn’t have any issues were airing his hatred of the team the Bears in the playoffs Saturday night.
“This is a rivalry,” Johnson said Monday at Halas Hall. “The city of Chicago, Green Bay. It needs to be a rivalry.”
His boss is fine with it. Chairman George McCaskey — who last year insisted that HBO air an entire season of “Hard Knocks” without cursing — is also known for openly disliking the Packers.
“There’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams, something that I fully recognize and I’m a part of,” Johnson said. “I don’t like that team. George and I have talked, and we’re on the same page.”
“I don’t like that team,” Johnson said. “George and I have talked and we’re on the same page.”
Johnson did regret the trash-talking at midfield during pregame warmups.
“No one wants to see that,” he said.
Johnson needled his counterpart on his first day on the job, saying in his introductory press conference a year ago that he loved beating Packers head coach Matt LaFleur twice a year while a Lions assistant. After he beat LaFleur for the second time this season Saturday night, he and the coach shared only the most cursory handshake.
Afterward, the Bears posted a video of Johnson handing out game balls, complete with him disparaging the Packers — albeit with a word bleeped out.