Chase Claypool, who came under scrutiny earlier this season for wanting to play music in practice to make it more fun, was in the hot seat again for a terribly timed celebration as the clock winded down in the Steelers 36-28 loss against the Minnesota Vikings.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger connected with Claypool, who converted a fourth-and-one catch at the 34-yard-line, but instead of getting up and finding a ref, he started celebrating on the field.
A frustrated Trai Turner went over to grab the ball but bumped into Claypool, causing the ball to fall to the ground and waste even more time.
After the game, Roethlisberger indicated that it’s not his responsibility to hold players like Claypool accountable for mistakes.
“It’s not really my job,” Roethlisberger told reporters when asked if he spoke to Claypool about his celebration. “That goes up to Coach Tomlin.”
He continued: “That’s what he needs to do. That’s his job as the head coach. As the quarterback, it’s my job to help manage what we do on the field and get first downs and try to score. Dealing with players’ issues and whatever else you want to say, that’s the coach’s job, not mine.”
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Claypool took little responsibility over what happened as he shifted the blame to a teammate.
“I got tackled near the hash, did my little first down point, went to hand the ball to the ref,” he said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “He just got there. Even if I got right up and looked for him, he wasn’t there. He ran down the field to come get the ball. The ball got knocked out of my hands. That is what cost us time. But I definitely do have to be better. I knew the situation.”
Claypool was 8-of-9 targets for 93 yards.
