New York Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick drew intense criticism and backlash from NFL fans after a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cleveland Browns wide receiver KC Concepcion. The violent play, which occurred in the first quarter, knocked the rookie out of Sunday’s game with a head injury.
On the Browns’ second drive of the game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, quarterback Deshaun Watson targeted Concepcion on a deep pass. As the first-round pick attempted to secure the catch, Fitzpatrick arrived with a forceful hit that appeared to involve helmet-to-helmet contact.
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KC Concepcion went down hard after the hit and remained on the turf for several minutes. The wideout was eventually helped to his feet before walking off under his own power. He was ruled out of the game, which ended 17-12 in favor of the Jets, shortly afterward with a concussion.
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Minkah Fitzpatrick didn’t get away with the violent play, as he was flagged for unnecessary roughness. It was his second personal foul on the same drive after an earlier facemask penalty that ripped Concepcion’s helmet off. The NFL is expected to impose further discipline on the safety when the game is reviewed.
Social media reaction to the helmet-to-helmet hit was swift and largely unforgiving. Many fans hit out at Fitzpatrick for his habitual violent and dirty plays, while others called for stronger discipline, including ejection or longer-term consequences given his history of putting other players at risk.
Here’s a look at some of the reactions online:
Browns coach reacts to losing KC Concepcion
The Cleveland Browns have to navigate the rest of the Week 5 game in East Rutherford without KC Concepcion, who’s been forming great chemistry with Deshaun Watson. In his postgame press conference, Todd Monken reacted to losing the player in the matchup.
“That’s just a bang-bang play. Minkah’s been in this league a long time,” Monken said. “He’s not a dirty player. I’ve never seen that out of him. It’s a bang-bang play. Unfortunately, it happened to our guy, and that’s part of the league. Not having KC is a part of it.
“But everybody is missing players. It’s the NFL. You lose guys throughout the course of the game, and ultimately you count on the next man up, the expectations of the position. We obviously didn’t do enough. We just didn’t do enough on offense.”
KC Concepcion will undergo concussion protocol through the week, with the Browns hoping he will be available in Week 6 when they host the Baltimore Ravens. Further updates will be provided on the wide receiver by the team during the week.
Edited by Farouk Yusuf
