Steelers fans will remember that Cleveland Browns defender Jared Verse did plenty of talking before Pittsburgh’s game against the Browns. Then Pittsburgh Steelers left guard Mason McCormick dumped him on his head during an extra point attempt and drew a flag on the play.

Verse kept talking after the game and well into the week. Now the NFL has had its say on McCormick’s hit, and Verse is not going to like what it decided.

Jared Verse is still talking about Mason McCormick

The Steelers are on their bye week. The Browns still have a game against the Saints, and for some reason Verse decided to bring up the McCormick play again during his weekly media availability.

He told reporters the hit could have derailed far more than a single game.

“That honestly could have put me in a position to not be able to finish the season, put me in a position to change my life in a very bad aspect,” Verse said.

Believe it or not, he did not stop there. Verse went on to blame his own teammates for the situation. I couldn’t believe it either.

Cleveland has to be feeling some buyer’s remorse at this point. The Browns traded away Myles Garrett and got back some good draft picks in the deal. Verse, however, has been bad this season, and now he is pointing fingers inside his own locker room. That is not a great look for a player Cleveland expected to help fill the void Garrett left behind.

View on Threads

NFL makes its decision on McCormick’s hit

None of that matters much now, because the NFL released its weekly fines on Saturday and McCormick’s name was not on the list.

Alan Saunders of Steelers Now posted the news on X:

“Steelers left guard Mason McCormick was not fined by the NFL for his hit against Jared Verse on an extra point that was penalized in game.”

So the Steelers got the win, and McCormick got back at Verse after the Pittsburgh locker room openly said it heard all of his talking and all of his bulletin board material. McCormick also comes away from the play unscathed in his pocketbook.

For a second-level offensive lineman, that is about as clean a result as you can ask for. McCormick took a penalty in the moment, but the league reviewed the play and decided it did not rise to the level of a fine. Meanwhile, Verse is still answering questions about it while Pittsburgh enjoys a week off.

What comes next between Verse and the Steelers

If Verse is still with the Browns next season, this matchup is going to carry some extra juice. He is not letting the McCormick play go, and the Steelers have made it clear they are paying attention to everything he says.

In my opinion, Verse would be better off letting this one die. Every time he brings it up, he hands Pittsburgh more motivation. I’m sure the Steelers will be looking forward to getting back at him again the next time these two teams meet.