Joe Sargent/Getty Images Chase Claypool of the Pittsburgh Steelers stiff arms Mack Wilson of the Cleveland Browns during a game on October 18, 2020.
In a video that was surfaced by TMZ early Wednesday morning, second-year Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool is seen participating in a brawl outside a Southern California tavern.
According to TMZ Sports, the incident took place on March 13 outside the Wild Goose Tavern in Costa Mesa, Calif., a city in Orange County that is approximately 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
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Chase Claypool’s Role in the Altercation
Per TMZ, Claypool “was NOT an instigator” of the fight, but the video appears to show him getting involved, swinging his leg at a combatant who is wrestling on the ground with another individual. Other than what TMZ describes as delivering “a swift kick to the face,” the 6-foot-4, 238-pound receiver seems to be trying to play a peacekeeping role in the fracas.
In terms of the aftermath, TMZ reports that “the Costa Mesa Police confirm they received a call for a fight at that location but when officers arrived, security told them the parties involved had already left. Nobody has been arrested or charged with a crime.”
As for why he is in Costa Mesa, Claypool recently told British Columbia’s Coast Mountain News that he would be doing most of his offseason training in Southern California.
“Most of that game preparation, game day readiness, will be done in California, where I’ll be training with [former Cincinnati Bengals] receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh,” said Claypool. “Then I’ll be training [in a] weight room program… so I’ll be doing weight room stuff and field stuff, and then I’ll be doing treatment afterwards just to keep my body in tiptop shape.”
Claypool’s Rookie Year Accolades
Chase Claypool was Pittsburgh’s second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft (No. 49 overall) out of Notre Dame. Though the national media was generally not enamored with the Steelers’ decision to select Claypool, in his first year in the league he caught 62 passes for 873 yards with nine receiving touchdowns, while also contributing two rushing touchdowns.
Claypool’s breakout game came against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 last year, when he won AFC Offensive Player of the Week for catching seven passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns, with three carries for six yards and yet another TD.
He went on to win the Steelers’ Joe Greene Best Performance Award, which is given to the team’s top rookie. He was also named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team.
This year Claypool will again be a big part of a Steelers wide receiving corps that features recently re-signed unrestricted free agent JuJu Smith-Schuster, as well as third-year receiver Diontae Johnson and fourth-year man James Washington. Before Smith-Schuster was retained it appeared likely that the Steelers would select a wide receiver in the forthcoming NFL draft, but that appears much less likely today. Kick return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud is currently the leading contender to hold down the No. 5 wide receiver job.
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