Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook made headlines for all the wrong reasons lately after he was accused of rejecting a Patrick Beverley-led huddle during a preseason game. The clip went completely viral — and understandably so — as it put Russ in a bad light with regard to his supposed willingness to work with his team.

Beverley has now spoken out about the issue, and he was quick to play down any “bad teammate” narrative against Russ. In Pat Bev's mind, Westbrook did nothing wrong (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter):

“When I was in the huddle, I felt like Russ was in there with me,” Beverley said. “He was talking to the refs and coaches… We told him on the plane, ‘Hey Russ, anything you do, they're gonna attack you. I'm sorry you gotta go through that, bro.'”

Beverley may have been with the Lakers for just a couple of months, but he's already well aware of the fact that everything they do in LA will be placed under the microscope — especially if your name is Russell Westbrook. Nevertheless, it is clear that Pat Bev and the rest of the team are standing behind their embattled teammate.

“They're trying to kill my boy Russ, man,” Beverley continued. “… It don't faze him. But as a human, you gotta keep your sanity in that s–t because you can kinda lose yourself, but mentally he's been solid, mentally he's been strong.”

As expected, Beverley is doing damage control for something he claims has been blown out of proportion. This has been the theme for the Lakers this summer, which come to think of it, was also the case on the Westbrook front for virtually all of last season.

Obviously, all eyes will be on Russ on Tuesday when the Lakers open their season against the defending champs Golden State Warriors.