Diontae Johnson, Mitchell Trubisky address pregame punch allegation
On Friday, a rumor surfaced that Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson punched his teammate and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky before a game this season. Now, the players have responded and deny an altercation took place.
Earlier in the day, Gio Giannotti of the "Boomer and Gio" show said that Johnson punched Trubisky in the face ahead of the Steelers' Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets because he was upset about his lack of targets the previous week versus the Cleveland Browns. Giannotti also noted that the incident ultimately led to Trubisky's benching in favor of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett.
There's a lot that doesn't make sense about the story. For one, if the team's No. 1 wideout punched his quarterback, the world likely would've heard about it by now. And two, Johnson was targeted 11 times in Week 3 against the Browns, tied for the third-highest number of targets Johnson had all season long.
Regardless if a punch was thrown or not, the two probably won't have to worry about co-existing next season with the Steelers. Johnson signed an extension last year through 2024, so he's a lock to be a Steeler for the foreseeable future. However, Trubisky is another story. The 29-year-old, scheduled to make $8 million in 2023, is a candidate to be cut pre-June 1.
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