It is safe to say Steelers receiver George Pickens and Browns cornerback Greg Newsome do not like each other. Of course, Pickens claims he doesn’t even know Newsome.
Pickens and Newsome had a wrestling match on a Steelers’ Hail Mary attempt in a Week 12 game won by the Browns 24-19. The scrap continued into the wall behind the end zone before officials and stadium personnel broke up the players.
After that game, Newsome called Pickens “a fake tough guy.”
Newsome doubled down Friday after Pickens said “I don’t even know who that is” in reference to Newsome.
“The only way you would take something that somebody says disrespectful is if you actually care about that person,” Newsome said, via Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan. “So I don’t care what he has to say or anybody has to say. So I don’t take it as disrespectful because I don’t care about the dude at all.”
Pickens has a history of 15-yard penalties, and his two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for taunting in last week’s win over the Bengals prompted coach Mike Tomlin to say the receiver needs to “grow up” and he needs to “grow up in a hurry.”
Newsome said Pickens is not a team player.
“I’m all about the team,” Newsome said. “Obviously, he’s the guy that cares more so about himself, and you could see that in the penalties that he causes. And for me, my job is to try to do whatever I can to help the team win. So, there’s never going to be no one-on-one battle. For me, my battle is to try to help my team get to win.”
Newsome was unbothered by the league’s decision not to fine Pickens for the scuffle during and after the Hail Mary. He vows to keep his cool regardless what Pickens tries or says Sunday in the rematch.
“I’m an ultimate professional, so it’s easy for me. I mean, a guy like him is obviously hard,” Newsome said. “That happened in our game. He got two more penalties the next game, so that’s just a trend that he does. But me, I’m a professional so I would never let somebody make me do something to hurt my football team.”
