Packers Fans Need to Move On from Brandon Bostick Incident
Over ten years have passed since the 2014 NFC Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks, yet one moment from that game still shadows former Packers tight end Brandon Bostick. Today, Bostick serves as an assistant tight ends coach at the University of North Dakota, but he continues to be the target of online harassment from fans who refuse to let go of a single mistake.
In that infamous play, the Packers were leading late in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks attempted an onside kick. Bostick’s role was straightforward — block the opposing defenders so that Jordy Nelson could secure the ball. Instead, Bostick went for the catch himself. The ball slipped through his hands, Seattle recovered, and moments later the Seahawks completed a stunning comeback, eventually winning in overtime to secure their spot in Super Bowl XLIX.
While the botched recovery became the defining image of the loss, the truth is the Packers made several errors that day — breakdowns in defense, missed opportunities on offense, and conservative play-calling all played a role. But for many fans, Bostick became the face of the collapse.
The hostility has outlived the moment. Bostick still receives cruel direct messages and public ridicule on social media for a single play from his five-year NFL career, which also included time with the Vikings, Cardinals, and Jets. For some, that one mistake overshadows everything else he’s done in football.
Matt Wellens, a Wisconsin native and longtime Packers fan, argues that this obsession is misplaced. The Packers have gone 14 seasons without winning a Super Bowl — their longest drought since the nearly three-decade gap between 1968 and 1995 — but blaming one man for a decade’s worth of outcomes is unreasonable.
Wellens urges fans to put the grudge to rest. The past can’t be changed, and continuing to hurl insults won’t bring back that game. Instead, he suggests redirecting that passion into celebrating the team’s history, enjoying the excitement of training camp, visiting Lambeau Field, and taking pride in the franchise’s four Lombardi Trophies.
The call to action is simple: put the phone down, stop the online harassment, and focus on the joy of being a fan. Football is a game meant to unite, not to give license for a lifetime of hostility toward one player.
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