Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn't know what to do anymore. The Steelers Pro Bowl safety said as much when asked about his personal foul that occurred during Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Colts -- Pittsburgh's first loss of the season.
The penalty occurred late in the third quarter shortly after the Steelers had cut the deficit to seven points. Fitzpatrick was flagged 15 yards after he made contact with Colts wideout Adonai Mitchell on a 2nd-and-10 play. The penalty helped the Colts score a touchdown on that drive en route to an upset win over Pittsburgh.
"I thought we were playing football," a dejected Fizpatrick said afterward, via the Tribune-Review. "I don't know what we're playing at this point. Very different game from what I grew up playing and grew up loving. Can't hit nobody hard. Can't be violent. Don't know what to say anymore."
DeShon Elliott, Fitzpatrick's teammate and fellow safety, had plenty to say about the penalty.
"That was bullshit," Elliott said about the Fitzpatrick penalty, via 93.7 The Fan. "I don't care. That was BS. ... That was legal. He did nothing malicious. Didn't even hit him in the head. Hit him right in the shoulder. If anything, he let up."
In case you haven't seen it, here's a look at the play that has drawn the ire of Pittsburgh's defensive backs. As you can see, Fitzpatrick did appear to be letting up after the ball had already flown past Mitchell. But Fitzpatrick was unable to avoid making contact with Mitchell, thus leading to the 15-yard penalty.
Fitzpatrick is right. The NFL has made some drastic changes to how the game is played now relative to when Fitzpatrick was growing up. The irony is that while the NFL has implemented rules to improve player safety, it continues to add games to the schedule, which obviously isn't good for the players from a health standpoint.
Regardless how Fitzpatrick or anyone else feels, the NFL is changing, and he and the rest of the league's players will have to continue to change with it.