Price: I'm fine with 'whatever crap I catch' for defending teammates

David Price is willing to throw himself under the bus for his fellow Boston Red Sox.

The southpaw starter infamously engaged in a verbal confrontation with NESN analyst Dennis Eckersley during the team's flight to Toronto last Thursday, and later reports suggested the reasoning behind the argument was due to a comment made by Eckersley about another Red Sox player, not Price himself.

Those reports were never confirmed, though Price - who stated last month he wasn't speaking to the media anymore until after his starts - gave credence to them Tuesday when he addressed the Eckersley confrontation following Boston's 11-4 win over the Texas Rangers.

"I'm standing up for my teammates," he told Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. "Whatever crap I catch for that, I'm fine with it."

While it was never officially revealed who specifically Eckersley commented on that peeved Price, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer tweeted that Price apparently took exception with Eckersley's negative review of Eduardo Rodriguez's rehab pitching performance.

Interestingly, Palmer's tweet was then retweeted by Eckersley himself, suggesting that may have indeed been the cause of the confrontation. Eckersley, however, has yet to comment publicly on the incident.