“Was Not Dirty”: Ex-Browns Player Defends Mason McCormick for Body Slamming Jared Verse in Steelers’ Win vs. Browns

Until the Week 8 Browns-Steelers clash, Jared Verse only felt the rivalry as a teammate. He'd been hyping the game up, trash-talking Pittsburgh before. But during the game, the rivalry became personal for him.

On an extra point attempt by the Steelers, offensive lineman Mason McCormick tossed (an already airborne) Verse headfirst into the ground. This became a highlight of the game and fed into the rivalry. But according to former Cleveland player Jason Pinkston, McCormick did nothing wrong.

"Browns fans… I love y'all, but what Mason McCormick did to Jared Verse was NOT dirty at all! As an offensive lineman, you're taught from day one that if a defensive player leaves his feet and jumps, YOU DUMP HIM! That's Offensive Line 101," wrote Pinkston on X .

McCormick said the same thing after the game:

"I really had no idea who it was. Just felt somebody jump, and we're told to get jumpers' hands down."

He never implied that the move was personally motivated because of everything Verse has said about the Steelers so far. It happened as a natural reaction. But he was still flagged for the move, with officials declaring it unnecessary roughness.

Verse came to Cleveland only this year by way of the Myles Garrett trade with the Los Angeles Rams. And in the short time that has passed since, he has gone real deep into the rivalry Cleveland has with Pittsburgh. In their earlier matchup this season, Verse said during the game, "I hate the black and yellow, man. I hate it."

Jared Verse had also accused the Steelers of playing "dirty," along with a bold claim later about "making Pittsburgh ours."

However, the defensive end couldn't match that fire in his game. Against the Steelers in Week 8, Jared Verse only recorded one assisted tackle.

He was also beyond unhappy with McCormick's play.

"I had jumped in the air, tried to block the kick, he swooped my legs in the air, ended up landing on my head," Verse said in the post-game presser. "That's football. I mean, I'm very upset about it. Obviously, you know, if this wasn't football, I would have reacted a different way. But, you know, he got to handle that. He got the flag, you know, he was able to walk away with it. He got a little penalty on them.

"I love how much power goes into it. How much we put into their lives, into the football. But to do something like that? It's just, I can't have respect for anything like that."

While Verse lost respect for Pittsburgh, Pinkston believes that it was not foul play from McCormick. It is a basic technique taught to offensive linemen from the beginning of their football careers.