Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens and Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II ended last week’s Thursday night affair by wrestling one another out of the back of the end zone on a Hail Mary attempt.
Newsome and Pickens exchanged words about the incident after the game but aside from that, not much has been revealed about the altercation to this point. On November 27, however, Cleveland.com photographer Joshua Gunter shared his perspective of this bizarre late-game skirmish — which was interesting, considering the two players barreled into him while they were fighting.
“I’ve seen a few fights in the NFL happen in front of me over the years,” Gunter began his article. “But one that happened over me? This was a first.”
Given his close proximity to the tussle — more on that below — Gunter created a video of Pickens and Newsome’s Week 12 brawl, clipping together the behind-the-scenes photos he was able to take.
In it, Pickens appears to have Newsome pinned into a corner before being restrained. All the while, two NFL officials try their best to separate Pickens and Newsome mid-fight.
It’s a wild scene, and it would not be shocking at all if both players end up being fined by the league — or worse.
Photographer Was Blindsided by George Pickens & Greg Newsome as Pair Fought to End Steelers-Browns in Week 12
“The two players, refusing to let go of one another, pushed and shoved each other into the end zone, out of bounds and finally into me before landing against the padded wall separating the field from seats,” Gunter recalled, providing his firsthand account with Cleveland.com.
“I was surprised by the whole thing, as I didn’t see them coming at me from my blind side,” he continued. “Something hit me hard in the lower back, I presume a knee or cleat, but I was on my side by this point and only knew it hurt a bit. I continued to shoot what I saw.”
Finally, Gunter noted that he “popped up from the hit and turned around to see the two players locked together. Newsome, whose helmet had already been pulled off by Pickens, was against the wall and Pickens was over him. Two officials were trying to wrestle them apart.”
Steelers QB Russell Wilson Backs George Pickens After Hail Mary Disappearance
As head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged, Pickens was supposed to be the “point man” on the Steelers’ Hail Mary attempt versus the Browns. Instead, he was nowhere to be found, and the game ended without much threat.
Despite that, quarterback Russell Wilson defended Pickens while addressing the media on November 27.
“George is always trying to make a play, obviously,” Wilson told reporters. “I think, unfortunately, I believe he was getting pushed out [of bounds] when he was trying to get to the spot. So, it’s an unfortunate situation. He was trying to get to the spot where I threw it to and he got carried out the end zone on that, unfortunately.”
Later, Wilson expressed once again that the Steelers have “so much belief” in Pickens as a player, calling him “one of the world’s best at what he does.”
Similarly, Tomlin appeared to give Pickens a pass — publicly, at least — when asked about this play on November 26.
“I think [the Browns’] actions had something to do with him not being in position to do [his job],” the Steelers HC said. Pittsburgh will likely keep this one in-house, as they typically do when it comes to Pickens.
We should know more about any potential external punishment from the league by Saturday, November 30.
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