Emotions are running high early in the K.C. Chiefs home opener against the Cleveland Browns, and safety Ronnie Harrison took things way too far in the first quarter. Despite being up 8-0 after scoring on their opening drive, Harrison took offense to something along the opposing sideline and ended up shoving Chiefs coach Greg Lewis.
After officials seemed to miss the call early, further analysis brought the league office into the picture and a closer look earned a second chance on penalizing Harrison. At that point, officials stated that Harrison had been disqualified for the rest of the game for shoving him.
Chiefs RB coach Grew Lewis appeared to shove Browns safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. off Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Harrison retaliated by pushing Lewis. They've now made the penalties off-setting, and Harrison has been ejected.
— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) September 12, 2021
Ronnie Harrison pushing coaches 😳
— PFF (@PFF) September 12, 2021
pic.twitter.com/XQaxthMrvW
Harrison is a solid player in the Browns’ secondary which was already going to be tested plenty by the single most explosive offense in football. Patrick Mahomes has already found Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce multiple times on the team’s opening drive, which should be a sign of things to come for the next four quarters.
In addition to Harrison now being out of the game, the Browns were also down last year’s second-round pick in safety Grant Delpit’s status on the inactive list. That puts greater pressure on new free agent signing John Johnson III and fifth round rookie Richard LeCounte.
Going forward, the Browns should expect some sort of punishment to be levied against Harrison in the days to come, whether it’s some sort of fine on the more lenient side of the spectrum or a potential suspension on the heavier side. Expect the league to investigate what led up to the matter as well and how Lewis was involved in the first place.