Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) following an injury sustained on Sept. 18. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Ex-Steelers LB says NFL to blame for Nick Chubb’s season-ending injury

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Sep 21, 2023 5:40 PM ET

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick tried clearing his name on Thursday, saying he didn’t try to purposely injure Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb in Monday’s 26-22 win on “Monday Night Football.”

Fitzpatrick’s intentions on the play have been heavily debated in the days since, and former Steelers linebacker James Harrison has come to Fitzpatrick’s defense, stating that the NFL is actually to blame for Chubb’s season-ending knee injury — not Fitzpatrick — because of the fear of getting fined for hitting too high.

“You've made it to where if a guy goes in there and comes in high and hits him in the head, now he's getting fined," Harrison told TMZ Sports on Thursday. "So what do you have to do? You've got guys shooting low now. That's just what you've done made the game into."

Despite Fitzpatrick not being flagged on the play, the optics of his hit on Chubb had been debated by several former players like Ryan Clark and Nate Burleson, who got into an exchange over the topic on X, as well as several NFL analysts and sports talk show hosts.

Was the Minkah Fitzpatrick hit that took Nick Chubb out dirty??@JasonMcCourty explains why he went low pic.twitter.com/1kTGawRQ1i
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) September 19, 2023

Minkah Fitzpatrick said today, "I’m chippy. I’m edgy, of course. But I’m not a dirty player."

Here's @TimCowlishaw on why he agrees that Fitzpatrick's hit on Nick Chubb wasn't dirty: pic.twitter.com/91DxWqApYI
— Around the Horn (@AroundtheHorn) September 21, 2023

Harrison isn’t the only former defensive player to come to Fitzpatrick’s defense. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp recently stated on “The Rich Eisen Show” that he didn’t believe the hit was dirty but rather it was the result of “tackling a big-bodied running back.”

Harrison, one of the harder-hitting, more aggressive tacklers of his time, claims that if he played in the NFL today with its current rules, he likely would be in Fitzpatrick’s shoes quite a bit.

“To be honest with you, there would probably be a whole lot more people getting hurt because I'm going to shoot at your legs," Harrison added.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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