Justin Herbert initially spurned Laura Rutledge’s postgame interview attempt

After gutting out a win over the reigning Super Bowl champions, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert just wanted ESPN to leave him alone.

The Chargers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 22-19 in overtime on Monday Night Football. And while Herbert didn’t fill the stat sheet, completing just 12 of 16 passes for 139 yards, it was still an impressive performance considering he was just seven days removed from having surgery on his non-throwing hand.

After the win, ESPN’s Laura Rutledge approached Herbert to do a postgame interview for the Monday Night Football broadcast. But as she politely attempted to get Herbert’s attention, the quarterback who Jim Harbaugh described as a “competitive maniac” just kept walking.

“Yeah, I’m trying to celebrate with my team,” Herbert said as he brusquely attempted to shoo Rutledge away and skip the interview.

“I know,” Rutledge answered. “But can we just talk to you really fast?” as she tried convincing Herbert to just do the interview before celebrating with his team.

Ultimately, Herbert obliged. He didn’t look happy about it, but he snapped into coachspeak mode to answer a few questions from Rutledge.

It’s a tough spot for both Herbert and Rutledge. Herbert went through a lot just to get ready for the matchup before helping his team gut out a sloppy, heavyweight fight of a game in primetime. Emotions are still running high after a win like that over the reigning Super Bowl champions, and Herbert may not have been ready to have a microphone in his face. But that’s the job.

It’s the job of the players, who are required to do those interviews, and it’s the job of the sideline reporter to get those interviews. Kudos to Rutledge for remaining persistent, because Herbert would have looked worse if he never turned back around to take part in the postgame interview.