Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb has essentially not been seen or heard from by the general football public since suffering a gruesome knee injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers in September. That changed on Wednesday.
Chubb, who was in attendance at Browns minicamp, spoke to the media for the first time since the injury and made his first public comments about it. Specifically Chubb chose to address the tackle Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick made that damaged multiple ligaments in the Browns running back's knee and led to multiple surgeries.
Chubb said he didn't think the hit was dirty and these plays happen sometimes in football.
"I don't think it was a dirty hit at all," Chubb told reporters. "I'm not blaming (Fitzpatrick). It's part of the game."
There was some outcry in the immediate aftermath of the violent collision that Fitzpatrick went lower than necessary and at a bad angle to boot, which led to the severe injury. The safety insisted he was "not a dirty player" and that he was just trying to make a tackle. With Chubb's declaration out in the open, that discussion can be put to bed.
In this same availability Chubb did not give a timetable for his return and simply expressed his gratitude to the Browns organization for keeping him around instead of cutting him loose. It sounds like it'll be a while yet before the electrifying back will be on the field.
LIAM MCKEONE
Liam McKeone is a Senior Writer for the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. In addition to his role as a writer, he collaborates with other teams across Minute Media to help define his team’s content strategy. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in 2024, Liam worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, Liam is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books, and video games. Liam has been a member of the National Sports Media Association (NSMA) since 2020.
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