Yahoo Finance Steelers' Chase Claypool walks back comments calling Browns 'super classless'
The Cleveland Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on wild-card weekend, and some took it better than others.
One Steeler who made no friends on the way out was rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool, who made waves earlier this week by pronouncing that the loss is fine because the Browns are going to get blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs:
“You know, a bad loss, but umm, Browns are gonna get clapped next week,” Claypool said. “It’s all good.”
It’s not hard to see why some people mocked Claypool for being bitter about the loss.
Claypool appeared to double down and then some on Wednesday, when DAZN Canada released an interview in which Claypool called the Browns “super classless,” criticized their mockery of teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster, complained of not being shown respect and again pronounced the Chiefs would beat the Browns on Sunday:
“I think if the Browns had won with more class, I wouldn’t have been so salty about it, but them mocking JuJu during the game and after the game, it just didn’t sit right with me.
“They were just super classless, against JuJu, toward JuJu what they were saying on the field towards the end of the game. I’m not going to have respect for a team that doesn’t have respect for us.
“They can enjoy the win and another week of football, but they’ll be on the couch right next to me next week, so it’s all good.”
Claypool’s defense when that triggered a fresh wave of internet scorn: claiming it was an old interview. As many as two days old, even.
This is an OLD interview happening right after the fact. Talked to some friends on the browns and it’s all love! Hoping them nothing but the best for the rest of playoffs! Go rep the division 😝🤙🏾 https://t.co/GuQJWHeB2U
— Chase Claypool (@ChaseClaypool) January 14, 2021
Hopefully for Claypool, that will be the last he says about the matter. Browns linebacker Sione Takitaki, who had called Claypool “salty” for his original comment, ended up taking the high road when asked about the “super classless” comments:
“I have nothing to say about that. The game's over. We're not playing those guys. Obviously, he's a great player, good kid. But we're way past that.”
The mockery of Smith-Schuster that Claypool complained about came immediately after the wild-card game, the Browns’ first playoff win 1994, an entire franchise ago. The Browns gleefully trolled the wide receiver, who had inadvertently provided bulletin board material with his “Browns is the Browns” quote and videos of himself dancing on other teams’ logos (for which Claypool served as cameraman).
If the Browns pull out an upset against the 14-2 Chiefs, you can imagine the trolling will be directed at a different Steelers wide receiver on Sunday.
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