Getty Images Browns safety Ronnie Harrison.
The Kansas City Chiefs were not happy with Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. for his altercation with a coach along the sideline, leading to an ejection.
Harrison got caught up with a Chiefs player on the sideline when a Kansas City coach — identified as running backs assistant Greg Lewis — came over and pushed him. Harrison took exception to the shove and hit back at Lewis. The flag was initially on the Chiefs but was later flipped to be on the Browns and Harrison was ejected.
#Browns Ronnie Harrison can’t do this. You just can’t. Ejection and fine is automatic. Even if a coach pushes you because he thinks you’re purposely stepping on his player (and I actually don’t think it was on purpose by Harrison) you can’t open-hand shove a coach in the face.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid explained the incident from his point of view after the game.
“He was on the chest of our player. [Lewis] was trying to get him off, and he didn’t want to get off,” Reid said. “[Lewis] kind of lifted him just a little bit and he got hit. [Lewis] was there to help get that fella who was leaning on our guy. That’s why there was a penalty, right? The officials fixed it, which I thought was important. You don’t do that on our sideline. You don’t do that to our guys, bottom line.”
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said he did not want to comment on the incident until he saw it. Browns star pass-rusher Myles Garrett said that he told Harrison to be smarter but thought that the Chiefs coach should have been tossed as well.
Browns Address Odell Beckham’s Absence
Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. impressed during the offseason and all signs seemed to point that he’d be ready for Week 1. However, Beckham was a surprising scratch prior to the matchup with the Chiefs.
“He worked out before the game and didn’t feel like he could go a significant amount,” Stefanski said after the game, “so we felt like it was the right thing to do to keep him inactive. We had four wide receivers up.”
#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Odell Beckham Jr. went through warm-ups and didn’t feel like he was ready yet
Browns QB Baker Mayfield said it didn’t throw him off too much to not have Beckham on the field, knowing what the possibilities were.
“I had been preparing for both (Beckham to play or not play), to be quite honest with you,” Mayfield told reporters. “It’s a long season, we’ve got 16 more of these, and then whatever happens after that. so whenever he’s ready to come back and he feels he’s ready, we’re going to welcome him in with open arms.”
Browns Upset They Didn’t Finish Off Chiefs
The Browns could taste victory against the Chiefs and seemed to have all the momentum after Kareem Hunt leaped into the end zone to make it 29-20 with 10:24 left in the game.
However, a 75-yard bomb to Tyreek Hill and another successful Chiefs drive later, the Browns found themselves behind. Cleveland had one more chance to rally but it ended with Baker Mayfield throwing an interception.
“It was our game the first half and we left off the gas. We didn’t execute down the stretch they were more composed and they made the plays,” Garrett said. “We just had too many missed assignments on our part. They take advantage of stuff like that. They’ve shown that. We just needed to be better.”
The Browns will look to bounce back next week against the Texans, who won their opener but are expected to be one of the worst teams in the league.
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