The Pittsburgh Steelers won the long-awaited rematch with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, and Browns coach Freddie Kitchens was left in a rather embarrassing situation as a result.
Kitchens was photographed wearing a shirt Friday that read “Pittsburgh Started It,” in reference to the fight the two teams had on Nov. 14. That made a few headlines prior to Sunday’s game, but the Browns lost 20-13.
After the game, Kitchens reiterated that the shirt was a gag gift from his daughters, and said that his decision to wear it had nothing to do with Pittsburgh’s win.
Freddie Kitchens: “my daughters wanted me to wear the shirt and I’d wear it again… the t-shirt didn’t cause us to give up 40-yard passes”
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) December 1, 2019
The implication is that Kitchens’ shirt might have added a little bit of extra motivation for the Steelers. He’s probably right that it wasn’t a factor. The Steelers needed this game to keep their playoff hunt moving forward, and many of the key figures from November’s game weren’t involved here, one by Kitchens’ own decision. Even if it didn’t have an impact on the game, though, it didn’t turn out to be a great look for Kitchens.
