Steelers DC Teryl Austin: Minkah Fitzpatrick 'not a guy who plays dirty'
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, thanks in part to his pick-6 of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on Cincinnati's first series of Sunday's season-opening loss to Pittsburgh.
Fitzpatrick also drew two penalties for unnecessary roughness, for hits to the head of a defenseless receiver. Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase gave Fitzpatrick a double bird, a gesture former Bengals receiver Chad Johnson - aka Ochocinco - said represented the rivalry.
Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, who was the Bengals' defensive coordinator in 2018, was asked Thursday about Fitzpatrick's penalties. His response, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo:
Steelers DC Teryl Austin on Minkah Fitzpatrick's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the game and whether he needs to "reel" him in: “Why would you reel a guy in? I looked at those things. You look at them, and he’s trying to do everything by the letter of the law." (cont.)
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) September 15, 2022
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Steelers' Teryl Austin: Minkah Fitzpatrick 'not a guy who plays dirty'