When asked about his postgame confrontation with Browns CB Greg Newsome II, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens repeatedly stated during his media conference Friday that he was only there to avoid a fine. On Saturday, neither he nor Newsome appeared on the NFL’s Week 12 fine list as a result of the dust up.
The incident occurred during the Steelers’ last-gasp Hail Mary in the Browns’ 24-19 victory at Huntington Bank Field on Thursday night. Pickens and Newsome rode each other out of bounds and into the barrier between the fans and the field during the play.
Pickens looked to grab Newsome by the facemask and throw him into the wall as he fought back. They ended up on the ground, separated by officials.
“I was running, and he had my facemask the whole time,” Newsome told Cleveland.com. “It’s one of those situations where you obviously can’t let a guy slam you, so you have to fight back, but there’s nothing. If I were to get penalized for something like that, I would appeal.
Pickens and Newsome had an indirect war of words after the game, with Pickens blaming his team’s loss on the snowy conditions and declaring, “I don’t really think the Cleveland Browns are a good team at all.”
Newsome, meanwhile, branded Pickens a “fake tough guy” in the locker room following the game and repeated the remark in a post to X later that night. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he didn’t see the altercation, but the Browns kept Pickens from completing his job on the play, which was to be the point man and go up to collect the ball on a probable deflection to steal the win from the Browns.
“I think their actions had something to do with him not being in position to do that,” Mr. Tomlin said. Four fines were issued as a result of game play, including one to Browns safety Grant Delpit, who was fined $11,255 for insulting Pickens by ripping off and throwing his mouthpiece.
Browns linebacker Jordan Hicks was fined $10,378 for a roughing the passer (body weight) penalty with 10:10 remaining in the fourth quarter. Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson was fined $22,511 for unnecessary roughness (the use of a helmet) on a play with 5:28 left in the fourth quarter, while safety Damontae Kazee was penalized $11,255 for a late hit in the first.
The fight between Newsome and Pickens, as well as the subsequent verbal altercation, will be revisited in the coming week. The Browns and Steelers will face off again in Pittsburgh next Sunday at 1 p.m.
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