Minkah Fitzpatrick defends hit that injured Nick Chubb: 'There's nothing I really would do differently'
'It's a game (where) you make decisions in milliseconds'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Following Nick Chubb's gruesome injury on Monday night, fans were quick to point the finger.
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick made the tackle that resulted in the injury that ESPN didn't even opt to show a replay of. (It's accessible on the Internet if you so choose.)
Football, of course, is a rather violent game, and as injuries have increased over the years, players of all levels have been taught safer ways to tackle players - primarily to avoid head injuries.
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Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb (55) and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Chubb was injured on the play and taken from the field on a cart. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
But of course, at the NFL level, the perfect tackle isn't very easy to make. Despite this, fans were quick to say that Fitzpatrick's hit was dirty, as he should've tackled Chubb high at the goal line, rather than going low.
But the six-year vet says he wouldn't do anything differently.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I would say, one: they've never tackled Nick Chubb before if they're telling me to go high," Fitzpatrick told the NFL Network.
He also described how quickly the play happened, so there wasn't much time to think, and he was simply just being reactive to what he saw.
"Two: What I seen was it opened up, it's goal line. I didn't see anybody on him. I made the decision as soon as I seen the hole open up and him in the hole to go low.
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"You can tell me how to tackle him low, but it's a fast game. It's a game (where) you make decisions in milliseconds. Can't really control what happens after you choose to make your decision. I already chose to go low. Somebody got on his back when I was going low, and what happened, happened. There's nothing I really would do differently. Again, like I said earlier, it's very unfortunate. Nick Chubb's a great player. He makes the game a lot better when he's playing. Just hope for a speedy recovery."
The Cleveland Browns were quick to say that the running back would likely miss the season with what they described as a "significant" injury.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nick Chubb, #24 of the Cleveland Browns, is carted off the field after sustaining a knee injury during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on September 18, 2023, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
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Chubb suffered a similar injury when he was at the University of Georgia in 2015, meaning the rehab, and a return to tip-top play, would both be even more difficult than they already were.