Rams safety Quentin Lake apologizes to Justin Herbert for 'deli meat' comment, even though he has a point

One of the weird things about modern sports is that current athletes will gladly hop on podcasts. Of course, that sometimes makes things awkward, as was the case for Rams safety Quentin Lake.

Lake went on the "St. Brown Podcast" hosted by Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and his brother Equanimeous St. Brown.

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On the show, Lake talked about an interception he made on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers and was not complimentary of quarterback Justin Herbert's play.

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Rams safety Quentin Lake didn't hold back when talking about Chargers' QB Justin Herbert's game this season. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

"He was throwing deli meat out there," Lake said on the St. Brown Podcast. "He's seeing ghosts. I don't know what's going on, but we knew we were gonna get a couple. At least one."

Alright, just a couple of guys being dudes, talking smack.

Also, have you seen the 0-7 Chargers this year? "Throwing deli meat" might be a compliment compared to what they've done at times during the season. Seeing ghosts would actually be a welcome explanation.

So, no harm, no foul. Nothing wrong with a little smack talk in the NFL.

Oh, wait. He apologized?

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Rams safety Quentin Lake returns an interception against the Chargers. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

According to The Los Angeles Times, Lake sent an apology to Herbert over text message, but had not heard back.

"I don’t know if he read it," Lake said. "He probably says, 'I don’t care about it anymore. I’m not trying to see this. It doesn’t matter. You said what you said.' But at the same time I … felt like it was right for me to at least say, 'Hey, man, I didn’t mean it in any disrespectful way.'"

Come on, Justin: He meant you were throwing deli meat in the most respectful way imaginable!

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) looks to pass during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 15, 2025. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)

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Good on Lake for apologizing. But let's be honest, there's nothing wrong with a little off-field smack talk.

And if Herbert is offended by his passes being compared to someone flinging some Boar's Head around, then maybe work on not leading the league with ten interceptions.

That should be the rule: as long as you're at the top of the picks-thrown leaderboard, everyone gets to say you're throwing deli meat.