It’s clear that the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens are not on the same page when it comes to what happened between Odell Beckham Jr. and Marlon Humphrey on Sunday.
On the same day the Ravens tweeted out video supposedly supporting their claim that Humphrey never choked the Browns star wide receiver, the Cleveland players were asking for consequences to be levied against the Baltimore defender.
“I feel that’s kind of messed up that they did say that,” right tackle Chris Hubbard told the media when asked about the Ravens’ message earlier in the day. “It’s definitely on film and he needs to take the consequences for his actions.
“You looked at the video, I looked at the video this morning, and I was like, ‘The dude is really like trying to strangle my brother,’ you know what I mean? Something has to be done about that. No matter what it is, we can’t have that in this league.”
Here’s the slow-motion video the Ravens published, which shows the players locked up like rams grabbing each other’s facemasks before Odell throws a blow and they tussle on the ground.
Here’s an excerpt from Ryan Mink’s post on the Ravens official site:
Odell Beckham Jr. definitely punched Marlon Humphrey – also grabbing the cornerback’s facemask, attempting a sweeping leg kick and pulling him to the ground.
Humphrey definitely did not choke Beckham.
Instead, Humphrey did what he’s coached to do: protect himself, all while holding on to Beckham’s jersey the entire time.
Freddie Kitchens: Odell Did Great Job Not Retaliating
When asked about the Ravens response, Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens wants having it.
“Did you see the video? OK. That is my response. We are moving on to San Francisco. Everybody saw the video. That answers your question, right?”
Kitchens commended Beckham for not escalating the situation further following the altercation.
“We talked, and I got an understanding and moving forward. I will compliment Odell for this: in that instance, he did an excellent job of not retaliating. I would say that. I thought he was in some positions all day and difficult situations all day. I thought he handled it fairly well.”
Kitchens said he spoke with the NFL on the incident but wasn’t going to make what they talked about public.
Humphrey told the media after the game that he went to apologize to Beckham in the tunnel, which can be seen on some recently released footage.
By the way, here’s a video of Marlon Humphrey chasing down Odell Beckham Jr. to apologize after the fight. Fan sent it to me.
Browns Underdogs in Primetime Against 49ers on Monday Night Football
Despite all the talk around the incident between Beckham and Humphrey, the Browns do have a game this week, which again will be in primetime. The team heads west to take on the undefeated San Francisco 49ers, a game Cleveland is a 3.5-point underdog for.
“I would have made the schedule differently, but they did not ask me when they did it,” Kitchens joked. “We are very happy for our fans. To play these primetime types games, it is exciting for our fans. We just want to put our best foot forward for that particular week, whatever time the game is.”
The Browns have to lock in the next three weeks with a trio of tough games against San Francisco, Seattle and New England.
Comments
Browns Demand ‘Consequences’ for Odell Beckham Attacker