David DeCastro: Freddie Kitchens' Shirt Trolling Steelers Was 'Pretty Stupid'
December 1, 2019
The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly took notice of Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens wearing a T-shirt that said "Pittsburgh Started It" this week.
"I thought it was pretty stupid," Steelers guard David DeCastro said after Sunday's 20-13 win, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "That's a lot of bulletin board material. I don't know why you do that as a coach. I just don't get that. Of course it's going to motivate us. What are you thinking? It's just not smart."
The shirt refers to the fight between Myles Garrett, Mason Rudolph and others when the two teams played on Nov. 14. The Steelers responded with a key win at home Sunday.
While the extra motivation likely wasn't needed in the AFC North battle, fellow Steelers guard Ramon Foster also took note of the coach's shirt:
"When you do something like that, you throw your players in harm's way," Foster said.
Meanwhile, Kitchens didn't regret his decision even after his team's disappointing loss.
"My daughters wanted me to wear the shirt and I'd wear it again," the coach said Sunday, per Ben Axelrod of WKYC.
Cleveland entered the week with a three-game winning streak to get back into playoff contention, but the latest loss dropped the squad to 5-7 on the season. Kitchens has come under fire after failing to reach expectations with a talented team, and he clearly isn't helping his case with his off-field decisions.