Cleveland Browns defensive star Jared Verse didn’t hide how he felt after a rough scene in Pittsburgh, and his frustration wasn’t just aimed at the hit itself. It was also aimed at the silence around him.
During Cleveland’s 27-6 loss to the Steelers, Verse came crashing in on a field goal attempt when Mason McCormick went low to stop him. The play turned nasty fast: McCormick lifted Verse off the ground, flipped him upside down and drove him into the turf. Verse said that moment crossed a line for him, especially because he felt nobody from his own sideline stepped in.
“I’ll be quite honest with you, that was the play that made me kind of get really angry,” Verse told reporters. “I was generally upset about the game and the way things were moving, but at that point, it became like really deep.”
Verse didn’t stop there. He made it clear why the play bothered him so much, saying it felt like the kind of hit that could have changed everything for him physically.
“Like, you’re doing dirty s***, you’re gonna try to sweep my legs. That honestly could have put me in a position to not be able to finish the season, put me in a position to change my life in a very bad aspect,” Verse added.
What bothered him just as much was the reaction, or lack of one, from his teammates. Verse said he was especially fired up after seeing Browns defensive lineman Derek Barnett in a similar situation later on a field goal attempt. He said the moment made him think the team needed to be more connected and more willing to stand up for one another.
“I was like, we have to be better. Like, we have to get better on every aspect of the game of being mentally aware of these are my teammates, these are my brothers, and we’re not fighting for each other,” he said.
Verse also said he had already addressed the issue with his teammates directly. Even with all of that, he stayed in the game and finished the loss.
Now the 5-3 Browns turn the page and get ready to host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
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