Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb holds no grudge against Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for the hit that ended his season.
Fitzpatrick took some heat for a low hit on Chubb during their Week 2 clash. The result of the hit was so gruesome the broadcast decided not to show the replay. As a result, Chubb had both his ACL and MCL repaired during two separate surgeries. The latest of those came in November.
But Chubb did not think the hit from Fitzpatrick was anything out of the ordinary.
“I don’t think it’s a dirty hit at all. I’m not blaming him,” Chubb said on June 5. “It’s part of the game.”
Chubb did note that he did not hear from Fitzpatrick after their exchange on the field.
“No, I never did. Well, I actually, on the field, he came up to me and I was on the ground, and he said, you know I didn’t mean to do it,” Chubb said.
However, Chubb did hear from other players around the league, which helped propel him as he started his road to recovery.
it meant a lot. You know, I had guys tweeting at me all across the NFL. You know, it shows at the end of the day, we’re all human and we’re all in this together. And, you know, injuries, they suck, but they do happen. But, you know, it’s all about being there for your brother.”
Browns RB Nick Chubb Has No Timeline for Return
Chubb has been working hard to get back on the field. However, he still does not have a firm timeline for when he’ll be back on the field.
“Not necessarily,” Chubb said. “You know, I’m doing everything I can at this point. You know, I’m right where I want to be. And when that time happens, when I feel great, I’ll be on the field.”
Chubb is a four-time Pro Bowler and the franchise’s fourth-leading rusher of all time. Chubb has collected 6,511 yards and 48 touchdowns in 77 career games. He’s averaging 84.6 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry.
In Chubb’s absence, Jerome Ford, D’Onta Foreman, Nyheim Hines and Pierre Strong Jr. will carry the load.
Nick Chubb Pleased to be Back With the Browns
Chubb might have a little urgency to get back on the field due to his reworked contract. The revised contract lowered his cap hit from $15.85 million to just $6.275 million. Chubb gave up much of his base salary but can earn it back through performance-based incentives. The agreement appeared to be a mutually agreeable solution.
“I mean, definitely a blessing. They could have cut me dry and left me hanging, right? But they did a great job,” Chubb said. “You know, I want to be here in Cleveland. They know that. So, we came to a great point.”
The Browns were also grateful for how Chubb and his team dealt with the situation.
“I won’t comment in detail on the contract, other than to say that I think that whenever you go through a situation like that, I think people think it’s easy for a club, an agent, to be adversarial,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said on April 18. “And, you know, with Nick’s situation, I really applaud Nick and then his reps, Todd France and A.J. Stevens, for being really collaborative partners and finding a solution that worked for everybody.”
Cleveland opens the season on September 8 against the Dallas Cowboys.
