Steelers Players Blasted Freddie Kitchens Over His Questionable Decision To Wear A ‘Pittsburgh Started It’ Shirt

It’s been a couple of weeks since Myles Garrett treated us to one of the uglier moments seen on an NFL field in recent memory when he used Mason Rudolph’s helmet as a weapon during an altercation that was sparked in the final seconds of the Browns’ contest against the Steelers—a moment that launched quite the saga.

Garrett would ultimately be suspended indefinitely for his role in the brawl, and at his appeal hearing, he caused quite the stir when he accused the not-so-innocent Rudolph of hurling a racial slur in his direction during the fracas (although the NFL found no evidence to support his claim).

There was unexpectedly a ton of hype surrounding Sunday’s rematch between the two teams, and last week, Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens riled some people up when he was seen sporting a “Pittsburgh Started It” shirt while attending a movie.

The shirt gave the Steelers some bulletin board material to work with, and when everything was said and done on Sunday, they walked away with a 20-13 victory over Cleveland.

After the game, a number of Pittsburgh players took some time to rip into Kitchens over his choice of apparel, including Ramon Foster, who implied the coach’s fashion taste was unprofessional.

According to ESPN, David DeCastro thought the shirt was “pretty stupid,” and while Cam Heyward didn’t address it directly, he fired back with one of his own by rocking a “Free Pouncey” sweatshirt before the game (the center was suspended for two games for his role in the fight).

After the loss, Kitchens tried to downplay the controversy, saying:

“I wore a T-shirt. I wore a jacket with it. My daughters wanted me to wear the shirt. I’d wear it again. I put on a jacket, I covered it up, I took a picture, that was simple as that.

A T-shirt didn’t cause us to give up 40-yard passes. We were ready to play. That’s the only thing people need to be concerned about. We were ready to play.”

In contrast with some of his teammates, Baker Mayfield also didn’t seem too concerned and acknowledged it wasn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.

Very true.