KC Chiefs’ Greg Lewis expresses regret for Week 1 shoving incident with Browns player
Chiefs running backs coach Greg Lewis expressed regret Thursday for a sideline encounter with Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. during Kansas City’s season opener at Arrowhead Stadium.
The two men were involved in a first-quarter shoving incident during the Sept. 12 Week 1 game that resulted in Harrison’s ejection.
“What happened in the situation is I lost my cool and emotionally I got involved in the game in a way that I shouldn’t be,” Lewis said. “I shouldn’t be involved. My purpose was to get my guy and get him out of the situation.”
Lewis said he went to protect running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who was on the ground out of bounds along the Chiefs’ sideline after getting tackled by Browns linebacker Mack Wilson. As players attempted to separate, Harrison appeared to step on Edwards-Helaire midsection.
That’s when Lewis stepped in and pushed Harrison, prompting the Browns safety to retaliate by shoving back. The sideline skirmish between the assistant coach and player resulted in offsetting penalties and Harrison’s removal from the field, and game.
“As a parent, I need to be a better example and defuse the situation — and that’s how I looked at it, that I was going over there to get him (Edwards-Helaire) out, and it didn’t end up that way,” Lewis said. “It’s something that I shouldn’t have been a part of, but it happened.”
With Harrison watching the game from inside the visiting locker room, the Chiefs went on to defeat the Browns, 33-29.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid addressed the incident that evening, after the game.
“You don’t do that on our sideline,” Reid said then. “You don’t do that to our guys — bottom line.”
The NFL eventually levied a fine on Harrison in the amount of $12,128, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Yahoo! Sports NFL reported earlier in the week that the NFL fined Lewis an unspecified amount, while the NFL Network reported Lewis received just a warning from the league office.
The Chiefs assistant coach didn’t say whether he was fined or not.
“I’ve moved on from it,” he said. “I’ve spoken with Coach Reid, I’ve spoken with the NFL, and from that standpoint, it’s not going to happen again from me.”
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 3:46 PM.
