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There could be more disagreements between Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens and Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II when the two teams meet on Sunday.
When asked if he would talk to Newsome before the Week 14 game, Pickens answered on Friday, “I don’t even know who that is.”
Newsome told reporters the day prior that Pickens was the “last thing” he was worried about after their prior spat.
“I just feel like that’s just an after-the-game thing,” Newsome said, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I feel like the media and everything blows it up throughout that. I’m not even worried about that anymore. That was last game. So my goal right now is to try to find a way to win. George Pickens is the last thing that I’m worried about.”
Pickens and Newsome were involved in an on-field altercation during the Browns’ 24-19 Week 12 win over the Steelers. Newsome called the Pittsburgh wideout a “fake tough guy” after the game.
The fight between Pickens and Newsome took place after Russell Wilson’s attempted Hail Mary pass on Nov. 21 was knocked down by Browns defenders.
Pickens was boxed out of the end zone by Newsome on the play. The Steelers wideout appeared to pull on Newsome’s helmet in response, and the two grappled in a skirmish that brought them to the wall behind the goalposts.
The two were then separated, and the broadcast showed Pickens being held back from Newsome.
Newsome, who recorded three combined tackles in the win, responded to the fight in a post on X after the game:
“He’s a fake tough guy,” Newsome told reporters after the Browns win, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press. “He does a lot of that. The antics and stuff. Yeah, he didn’t even go up for the ball. He was just trying to do WrestleMania with me the whole time. So that’s what happened at the end.”
Pickens meanwhile recorded four catches for 48 yards in the loss. He said after the game that the Steelers were defeated because of the snowy conditions, and that he didn’t “really think the Cleveland Browns are a good team at all.”
Pickens and the 9-3 Steelers will hope to increase their advantage over the 8-5 Baltimore Ravens in the race to the top of the AFC North with a win on Sunday. Newsome and the Browns will meanwhile look to spoil Pittsburgh’s hopes of leading the division with another upset win.
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