Getty Sean McDermott and Stefon Diggs talk on the sidelines during a Buffalo Bills game.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he was “very concerned” as wide receiver Stefon Diggs failed to show up on the first day of the team’s mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.
After weeks of voluntary OTAs, the Bills kicked off their mandatory portion of offseason practices on June 13. Diggs had skipped the previous practices, but Bills teammates and management seemed assured that there was no tension and they expected him to return to the team once mandatory practices kicked off.
But Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Tuesday that Diggs had not joined teammates at the team’s facility in Orchard Park.
“Stef is not here,” McDermott said, via a video shared on Twitter by WHAM-13 reporter Dan Fetes. McDermott added that he was, “very concerned, very concerned” about the wide receiver’s absence.
Bills Coach Doesn’t Discuss Reason for Stefon Diggs’ Absence
McDermott spoke to reporters briefly about Diggs’ absence but said he did not want to delve into the reason for his absence.
“I respect everyone’s questions and what they want to know about our team, but right now we’re not going to get into it anymore,” McDermott said.
Diggs also did not offer a reason for his absence, though had posted pictures on social media earlier in the week showing him going through workouts.
Diggs has drawn controversy since the turbulent end to last season, when he was seen having an outburst on the sidelines during the team’s playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia reported that Diggs tried to bolt out of the locker room following the 27-10 loss, leaving even before coaches arrived, but he was stopped by practice squad running back Duke Johnson and returned.
Diggs later took to social media to say that he was upset at the way the season ended and the outburst was his competitive spirit spilling over. In a series of tweets posted the next week, Diggs said that he did not feel the criticism of his reaction was warranted.
“It’s easy to criticize my reaction more than the result,” he wrote. “Want me to be okay with our level of play when it’s not up to the standard ? Nah”
Diggs added, “Want me to be okay with losing ? Nah”
Team Assured Stefon Diggs Would Return
Prior to the start of minicamp on Tuesday, several members of the Bills organization gave assurances that there was no lingering drama with Diggs. General manager Brandon Beane said during a May 1 appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” that he was confident Diggs would be back when the time is right.
“I think we’re in really good shape there and I know he’ll — at the right time — get here and join and be ready to roll for the season,” Beane said.
While the reason for his absence on Tuesday had not been reported, there were reports that Diggs did return to Buffalo. Adam Benigni, sports director for WGR 550, tweeted that the All-Pro wide receiver was at the team headquarters for pre-minicamp medical testing on Monday, though did not join teammates at minicamp on Tuesday.
