Will Levis Turns Himself In To The Grammar Police After Using The Wrong Word In A Press Conference

Will Levis made his English teachers proud by apologizing for an incorrect choice of words during his press conference.

After the Tennessee Titans’ 17-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers, reporters asked the quarterback about a 15-play, 91-yard drive that ended in a 1-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry. Levis beamed with pride when discussing the drive, which he said was the best of the game.

“That was awesome,” Levis said. “That was what, a 17-play drive? Something like that. I think we ran more plays that drive than we did in the second half. Those are the types of drives that, you know, bring up the entire stadium. I mean, defense, offense, special teams and the fans. When you’re able to just capitulate down the field like that and just finish it, that’s the best feeling of all. To just finish a drive like that.”

The finish, Henry bulldozing through a defender on his way to paydirt.

Seeing that happen must have indeed been awesome. But what was less awesome to Levis was his word choice.

Will Levis Told The Word He Meant To Use A Different Word In His Interview

In the second-to-last sentence of his quote, Levis used the word “capitulate.” Merriam-Webster says that verb means “to surrender often after negotiation of terms.” That clearly wasn’t the right word, since there wasn’t a even hint of surrender from the Titans during that scoring drive.

Several hours after the game, Levis recognized his error and tweeted out an apology to all his former English teachers. The quarterback also mentioned the word he meant to use.

Some English teachers might still be dissatisfied with the quarterback's word choice. The word “matriculate” in most instances means “to enroll as a member of a body and especially of a college or university.” So unless Levis and the offense sent that ball to college during the drive, he once again missed the mark.

However, Levis isn’t the only one to use “matriculate” when discussing an offense moving down the field. Several football figures have used the word to mean “to advance” in football contexts.

It’s quite a different meaning than what most people would expect. But Levis’ word choice isn’t unprecedented, and he at least corrected himself the first time.

Levis’ English teachers should pat themselves on the back, knowing their work wasn’t in vain.