KC Concepcion says Minkah Fitzpatrick hit wasn't dirty

The guy who got knocked out is the one defending the guy who knocked him out. Concepcion cleared his concussion protocol and is lined up to play the Ravens on Sunday.

Rich Cimini

@RichCimini

Concepcion on the Fitzpatrick hit: “To me, it wasn’t a dirty hit. It was just a football play.” Fitzpatrick was fined by the league. He will attempt to reduce the fine.

Mary Kay Cabot@MaryKayCabot

#Browns KC Concepcion said #Jets Minkah Fitzpatrick’s hit “wasn’t a dirty hit” t.co/Bfrq9JPGOx

Quick refresher on the play. It came in the 1st quarter of the Week 5 Browns-Jets game, which Cleveland lost 17-12. Concepcion went up for a deep ball from Deshaun Watson and Fitzpatrick hit him as it arrived. The rookie was out cold on the turf before he hit the ground, it was the 1st concussion he'd ever been diagnosed with, and the Browns ruled him out on the spot. Fitzpatrick got flagged for 15 yards of unnecessary roughness and then got the fine in the mail.

Concepcion isn't holding a grudge. "I know the game that I signed up to play. This game is a very physical game," he said, and he thanked God for letting him get back up and walk off the field. That's a pretty generous take from a guy whose eyes rolled back on national television, and it's basically word for word what Fitzpatrick has been saying. The Jets safety called it "a football play" too, said he understood why he got flagged, and insisted the penalty wasn't for targeting or for going at Concepcion's head.

His own head coach is in the same spot. Todd Monken called it "a bang-bang play," said Fitzpatrick "made a nice break on the ball," and added that he's always had a ton of respect for him. When the receiver, the hitter and the opposing coach all agree, the league's case for that fine starts looking pretty thin. Fitzpatrick hasn't said how much it was. He's trying to get it reduced, and now he can point to the guy he hit as a character witness.

Mary Kay Cabot

@MaryKayCabot

#Browns WR KC Concepcion to face the #Ravens a week after #Jets Minkah Fitzpatrick knocked him out cold and says 'it wasn't a dirty hit' ---> t.co/9xtwOFFomd

The bigger deal for Browns fans is that Concepcion is playing at all. He was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, got cleared Friday, and is ready for Baltimore, one of the league's most physical defenses, 7 days after being carted out of his own highlight. He says he's back to being himself: "smiling, dancing, cracking jokes."

Here's what to watch Sunday. Does Watson throw it up to him over the middle the first chance he gets, or does Cleveland ease him back in? Meanwhile, whatever happens with Fitzpatrick's appeal will show how much the league cares what the guy on the receiving end thinks. Concepcion's answer was about as clear as it gets: it was football, and he's ready to go again.