Getty Nick Chubb and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland Browns fans were understandably agitated with Minkah Fitzpatrick after his low hit left Nick Chubb’s knee in tatters, along with his season. However, Myles Garrett believes the blame being heaped on the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ safety is misplaced.
Garrett spoke with reporters on Friday, September 22, during which time he defended Fitzpatrick’s play from four days earlier. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com posted video of Garrett’s comments to X.
“Minkah didn’t do anything illegal. He was playing the game how it’s supposed to be played,” Garrett said. “It was very unfortunate what happened, Nick getting held up but just having, just planting his foot and the hit and all that. That’s not unlike what corners around the league do. This is something that’s very common.”
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ryan Clark Dispute Idea that Hit on Browns’ Nick Chubb Was Dirty
GettyPittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick tackles Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb during an NFL game.
Fitzpatrick also defended the play during an interview on Thursday.
“I’m not a dirty player,” Fitzpatrick said while addressing the media in the Pittsburgh locker room. “My kids know the type of player I am. Chubb knows the type of player I am, playing against him the last five years, twice a season. I love competing against him. He brings the best out of me and I bring the best out of him. There’s no chance that I would try to purposely injure somebody. We play a physical game where people get hurt.”
ESPN’s Ryan Clark also chimed in Thursday in an effort to shut down the talk around Fitzpatrick’s hit as illegal.
“To all of these people who think that what Minkah Fitzpatrick did is dirty — you’re dumb, and you’re soft, and you don’t understand what it’s like to be in that position,” Clark said. “My job, Minkah Fitzpatrick’s job, is to give the Pittsburgh Steelers another blade of grass to defend. Not only another blade, but as many blades as he possibly can.”
Nick Chubb Out for Season, Kareem Hunt Back in Browns Uniform
GettyCleveland Browns running backs Kareem Hunt (left) and Nick Chubb (right) leave the field after an NFL game in 2022.
Chubb’s exit for the remainder of the year has led to the return of running back Kareem Hunt to the franchise.
Hunt departed in free agency this offseason after four years as Chubb’s backup. He now returns as the backup to second-year running back Jerome Ford, at least for now. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Ford will be the starter for the team’s Week-3 matchup with the Tennessee Titans in Cleveland on Sunday.
“Jerome is the lead back,” Stefanski told media members Wednesday. “But we have to work through all of those type of things and what Kareem’s ready to do this week, if he’s ready to go this week, and what type of load he can carry and Pierre Strong [Jr.]. So I think we need to work through all of that. But yes, Jerome is the starter.”
Hunt played over Ford during the latter’s rookie campaign last season and could feasibly win the starting job at some point this year, just not this weekend.