You’re probably going to see this video sooner or later, so it may as well be in a safe space like this one. Bills rookie CB Ellis Lankster had two interceptions in Buffalo’s preseason game against the Bears and was then, unfortunately, run up onto a podium for a press conference by the Bills PR professionals.
Leave aside whether there’s anything for Lankster or anyone else to say about interceptions, the bad news is that Lankster doesn’t present terribly well and, apparently, has a stutter. The result is a torrent of “like um”‘s that drew the expected liberated responses from the CHUDs who post comments on YouTube — even the guy who pointed out Lankster’s obvious speech issues couldn’t do so without telling the other commenters to “just go die” — and apparently provoked a torrent of forwards to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Who would really like you to stop forwarding the video to him, please:
Clearly, the kid was nervous. And we hope that he’ll have plenty of opportunities to hone his press skills via a long and successful NFL career.
That said, did we laugh a little at his broken lawnmower/Miss South Carolina routine? Sure. But if, as it appears, the kid has some type of speech impediment, why didn’t the Bills’ P.R. staff strongly advise against a trip to the podium? Why not simply get quotes from him in the locker room?