Will Campbell explains why he didn’t speak to reporters after Super Bowl LX loss
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Will Campbell had quite the rookie season experience with the New England Patriots after being drafted out of LSU with the 4th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Above all else, the 3-time All-SEC offensive lineman and Consensus All-American in 2024 got to play in the Super Bowl as a rookie, something not many NFL players can claim to have done. Campbell’s Patriots shocked the NFL during the 2025 season, winning the AFC East and slogging through the AFC playoffs to reach the ultimate game. That ultimate game didn’t go so well, as New England was brought down to earth by the thundering Seattle Seahawks in a 29-13 loss on Sunday night.
Afterward, the rookie left tackle didn’t have much to say about the season-ending setback. In fact, he didn’t say anything, choosing not to speak with reporters after a forgettable performance. Campbell allowed a whopping 14 pressures in the Super Bowl, his most in any game during his rookie season, whether regular season or postseason.
It was all a little too much for Campbell, who needed time to process what had happened. Finally, a few days after the dust settled, Campbell spoke to reporters, explaining his Sunday night silence on Tuesday and apologizing for that silence.
“When I get emotional, I tend to have no mind, and that’s not the way that I need to approach this thing,” Campbell said. “I know myself, and if I would have spoken after, I would have said something that I didn’t need to say. So, I slept on it, I watched it. I know what I got to get better at and move on.”
Campbell didn’t just let loose on Tuesday with reporters, he also broke some personal news. According to Mark Daniels of MassLive.com, Campbell revealed that he tore a ligament in his knee during the regular season. He spent the final 4 weeks of the regular season on injured reserve with a knee injury, and apparently that ailment was a lot more serious than previously thought.
Then Campbell returned to the Patriots’ lineup for their postseason run that led all the way to the Super Bowl, where Campbell’s special rookie season ended with a big loss and a big-time learning experience for the former LSU star.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
