Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick found himself as the center of controversy Monday night for a hit against Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb. Before halftime of the Steelers' eventual win, Fitzpatrick hit Chubb low, sustaining a chest injury in the process and also injuring Chubb's leg to the point where the Browns star is now expected to miss the rest of the 2023 season.

After the game, some criticized Fitzpatrick for what was perceived to be a “dirty” low hit on Nick Chubb.

However, former NFL cornerback Jason McCourty recently addressed the topic on “Good Morning Football” and his answer may surprise some.

“I don't think it was intentionally dirty,” said McCourty. “I think when you look at the replay, you see him going low while someone's tackling him up high. You're like ‘well why would he do that?' I think from a safety's position, you have to remember, DB's are the smallest guys out there on the field… the way you get a big back down is you have to go low.”

McCourty's answer may not do much to quiet anger from the Browns' fanbase, who will now have to navigate the rest of their season without their team's best offensive player.

Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, thankfully avoided serious injury on the collision despite initially going down with a chest injury. The game would go onto have a thrilling conclusion, with the Steelers ultimately winning by a score of 26-22 thanks to a late fumble return touchdown by TJ Watt.

The Steelers will next take the field on Sunday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.