"Chase Claypool is mentally and emotionally underdeveloped" - Former NFL player goes off at Steelers WR for costly mistake

Pittsburgh Steelers WR Chase Claypool v Minnesota Vikings
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Chase Claypool v Minnesota Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool has been rubbing people the wrong way lately. This includes his teammates, his head coach Mike Tomlin and, most recently, former Pittsburgh Steelers alumni. Claypool, a second-year wide receiver out of Notre Dame, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

But it was his actions at the end of the game, as the Steelers tried to tie it up, that has everyone scratching their heads. With 40 seconds left on the clock, Claypool caught a crucial pass from Ben Roethlisberger for a first down. With no timeouts remaining, the Steelers were clearly going to spike the ball to stop the clock after the pass. Claypool decided to celebrate his first down, costing the Steelers precious seconds on the clock, instead of bringing the ball back to the line of scrimmage.

Offensive lineman Trai Turner approached Claypool for the ball, which he didn't handle well, and was seen as being vocal toward his teammate.

Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark, who is now an NFL analyst on ESPN, has been vocal about his feelings on the current Steelers team.

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Clark spoke about Claypool and the Steelers on Friday morning's edition of Get Up. He said that the problem is not that Claypool isn't a great athlete but that he isn't being held accountable for his actions and isn't aware of how his behavior affects the rest of the team.

"Chase Claypool is as mentally and emotionally underdeveloped as he is physically overdeveloped. ... He only cares about himself! And that self-centeredness is part of what's bringing the Steelers team and organization down."

Ryan Clark not happy with Chase Claypool's actions on Thursday night

As a wide receiver, he has immense talent, but it's his behavior on the field that isn't making him any friends, as Ryan Clark mentioned this morning. Claypool has been seen trash-talking his opponents in recent weeks, even dragging a Bengals player by the face mask.

Early in Thursday night's matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, Claypool was penalized for grabbing the face mask of a Vikings player. When he reached the sidelines, he received an earful from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin even went as far as to bench Claypool for a period of time in the game.

After the game, Claypool said that the ball was knocked out of his hand by Turner and that he wasn't able to get the ball back in time. Many wondered, if the Steelers could have had one more play in the end zone after the drop by rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth, had Claypool not wasted time earlier in the drive.

Ryan Clark said that Claypool's actions were selfish and that his behavior is what is bringing down the Steelers this season.

The loss to the Minnesota Vikings now has the Steelers sitting at 6-6-1 and a far reach from a potential playoff spot.

Steelers Fans! Check out the latest Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule and dive into the Steelers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by Windy Goodloe
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