Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II fired back at Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens after a post-game scrum in Thursday night’s 24-19 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at snowy Huntington Bank Field.
“Fake tough guy,” Newsome wrote on X with three crying laughing emojis.
Pickens tried to throw Newsome into the first row after the failed Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the game, similar to what he did at Georgia.
When asked about what happened at the end of the game, Pickens simply said “Nothing.” Pickens feels like the weather played a big part in the loss and the Browns are not a good team at all. Pickens was held to four receptions for 48 yards (12.0 average) in the game.
“The conditions were so bad,” Pickens said when asked about a third-quarter missed connection between him and Russell Wilson. “I don’t even think the QB could see sometimes. When you’ve got conditions like that at the opponent’s home field, it kinda plays in their favor. …
“The conditions played a huge, huge part in today’s game. I don’t really think the Cleveland Browns are a good team at all. I think the conditions kinda saved them today.”
Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton defended George Pickens on ESPN’s First Take Friday morning. Newton thinks he’s a perfect villain in the Steelers-Browns rivalry.
“He’s a crash-out. We love him. He’s the dog on the team. Is he fake tough? No, he’s a dog. Official dog,” Newton said. “When I look at the health of a healthy team, there are certain things you need. You need a guy like George Pickens. They’re quote unquote very talented, rebellious guys that give you that grit, that toughness. So the thing about that is you can’t have too many George Pickens because it’s going to make it undisciplined. You just need a mixture of crash-outs or rebellious guys and choir boys.”
Browns safety Grant Delpit showed on his Instagram Story that Pickens tried to trip him, which is why he snatched Pickens’ mouth piece.
Pickens certainly plays on the edge and can be an instigator, but like Netwon said, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as long as he doesn’t go overboard and it ends up hurting the team.
