Sports Valley- ESPN said yesterday that it cut short its interview with Joe Namath Saturday night because of the Hall of Famer quarterback’s embarrassing response to a question posed by sideline reporter Suzy Kolber.

Namath, interviewed during the first half of the Jets’ loss to the Patriots, told Kolber that he wanted to kiss her.

“Based on Joe’s response to the second question, we concluded the interview expeditiously,” ESPN said in a statement yesterday. “While Joe made some relevant football points, had we known what was to come, of course we would not have conducted the interview.”

Kolber asked Namath about the struggles of the team. In a slurred, rambling response, he said: “I want to kiss you. I couldn’t care less about the team struggling. What we know is that we can improve. Chad Pennington, our quarterback, missed the first part of the season and we struggled. We’re looking to next season.”

A Jets spokesman said yesterday there was no comment or apology from Namath, who couldn’t be reached.