Getty Images Browns safety Ronnie Harrison.
The punishment has been announced for Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Harrison after his shoving match with a Kansas City Chiefs coach on the sideline during their Week 1 tilt last Sunday.
Harrison won’t be suspended but his wallet will be a little lighter. He was fined $12,128 for shoving Chiefs assistant Greg Lewis. Tom Pelissero reported that Lewis wasn’t fined by the league but received a warning that any subsequent violations will result in discipline.
After making a tackle of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Harrison remained on top of the Chiefs’ running back, surrounded by players from both teams. The assistant, identified as Greg Lewis, pushed Harrison in an effort to get him off. Harrison responded with a hard push to Lewis’ neck, knocking his headset off. After a short discussion, the refs reversed the initial unsportsmanlike flag on the Chiefs and called it on Harrison, resulting in his ejection. Lewis, an assistant running backs coach, remained on the sideline.
It was a tough ejection for the Browns, who were already short at safety with Grant Delpit sidelined. They turned to converted cornerback MJ Stewart to pick up the reps against the high-powered Patrick Mahomes led offense.
Browns Wanted Lewis to be Punished for Role
The Browns were adamant that Lewis had a role and should have faced some sort of punishment.
“Ronnie can’t retaliate,” Browns center and NFLPA president JC Tretter said. “You can’t be the second one in those instances. You’re always going to get called for that. But we can’t have opposing coaches putting their hands on opposing players.”
Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett had a similar take to Tretter.
“I didn’t see it when it happened,” Garrett said. “I was just trying to get my guy out of there, because I saw he was tangled up and I saw him getting pushed and he pushed and I was like, ‘We don’t need any of that for our team, we’ve got to be smarter than that.’ Tried to get him out of the situation. He should get the same treatment that our players get, he should be tossed out of the game just like Ronnie.”
The NFL sent a memo to teams this week referencing the incident, per NFL.com.
“Non-player personnel of a club (e.g., management personnel, coaches, trainers, equipment personnel) are prohibited from making unnecessary physical contact with or directing abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures at opponents, game officials, or representatives of the League. Penalty: Loss of 15 yards.
“As a reminder, club personnel attempting to address an issue involving players and/or staff from an opposing team should not make unnecessary physical contact with any individual who is not a member of his or her own club. Please contact a member of the Football Operations department with any questions.”
Grant Delpit Set to Make Debut for Browns
Harrison will likely be the starter on Sunday, but expect to see some of Grant Delpit too, who will be making his NFL debut after rupturing his Achilles in camp as a rookie. He sat out this year’s opener with a hamstring issue but is cleared for takeoff.
“He has been out there going through individuals, but he had really his first live team reps,” Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods told reporters this week. “He is looking good. He is figuring things out. Hopefully, we can get him in the game and get him a few plays.”
There were high expectations for Delpit, who won the Jim Thorpe Award at LSU in 2019, given annually to the nation’s top defensive back. The Browns snagged Delpit with the No. 44 overall pick last year.
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