Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had just led his team to a convincing victory over the Minnesota Vikings when he unknowingly became part of a postgame interview that would send social media into a frenzy.
As ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge stood beside him to discuss the 23-6 win, Allen seemed determined to look anywhere but directly at her.
And while some viewers thought they knew exactly why, others claimed he was looking away from her cleavage.
“He’s fighting for his life,” one viewer joked. “I don’t blame him, one wrong look and it goes viral.”
Josh Allen went viral after appearing to go out of his way to avoid direct eye contact with presenter Laura Rutledge
The unusual exchange took place on November 9, after the Buffalo Bills defeated the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.
Laura caught up with Allen on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for a routine postgame interview about the team’s performance.
However, viewers quickly noticed that the quarterback seemed unusually reluctant to look in her direction.
Rather than maintaining eye contact, he repeatedly stared into the distance, glanced toward the stadium, or lowered his gaze to the turf.
At one point, Josh even stood gripping his jersey collar with both hands, giving the brief exchange an unusually stiff appearance.
Despite the seemingly awkward body language, he continued answering Rutledge’s questions about the game.
He finished the night with 234 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception as Buffalo secured an impressive win.
Fans of the NFL star joked that the married quarterback was “trying to stay out of trouble”
The clip quickly spread across social media, where viewers turned Allen’s apparent lack of eye contact into a running joke.
Many brought up his marriage to singer and actress Hailee Steinfeld, with some suggesting he was being particularly careful not to give anyone a reason to question his loyalty.
“I mean he’s married to Hailee Steinfeld; I wouldn’t be looking at anyone else either lol,” one person said.
Another added, “Married man staying on the good side of his wife.”
A third viewer joked, “Looks to me like he might be trying to be protective of his marriage. That’s a good thing, btw.”
Not everyone found the behavior amusing, however.
One person questioned, “Seems rude to not look her in the eye, no? It’s basic courtesy.”
Another theory circulating online was that Allen deliberately kept his eyes off Laura’s neckline to avoid being accused of staring at her chest.
Some viewers thought Allen was trying to avoid accusations of staring at the reporter’s cleavage
One netizen wrote, “Because he is taller, if he did, he would be accused of looking at her b**bs. He did right!”
Another user added, “He does look uncomfortable. Obvious he is purposely not looking at her, which is a sad state of affairs in our social culture.”
One comment read, “He’s taller than she is, her top is quite low & you people out there would accuse him of looking down her shirt and call him a creep.”
However, viewers who watched the full interview noted that Josh did make eye contact with Rutledge at other points during their conversation.
Notably, Allen also has a habit of looking away during interviews, including even when speaking with male reporters.
The noise inside a stadium can also make it necessary for players to turn their heads or angle an ear toward the person asking questions.
This wasn’t the first time one of Allen’s postgame interactions with a female reporter attracted unexpected attention.
Just weeks earlier, Josh had sparked another viral debate after an awkward moment with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson
On October 18, following the Bills’ 33-30 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, the quarterback spoke with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson.
As the interview ended, Wolfson reached behind Josh as he turned to leave.
The brief gesture sparked speculation among viewers, with some wondering whether she had given him a congratulatory pat on the backside.
However, the broadcast showed the pair only from the waist up, so it was impossible to tell exactly where her hand landed.
Some viewers suggested it was simply a routine pat on the back, while others questioned whether the gesture would have attracted the same attention if a male reporter had done it to a female athlete.
The significant height difference between the two also became part of the discussion.
Josh stands 6 feet 5 inches tall, while Tracy is 5 feet 2 inches, leading some viewers to suggest that a friendly pat on the back could easily have landed lower as he moved away.
“It’s not her eyes he is avoiding. He’s probably terrified he will get accused of looking at her cleavage,” one netizen wrote
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