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Browns' Warren threatens high hits on Roethlisberger

Browns' Warren threatens high hits on Roethlisberger

NFL warns player and team
Keith Srakocic, Associated Press
Browns defensive tackle Gerard Warren is trying to rattle Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with words.
Click photo for larger image.

Bill Parcells wasn't able to rattle him. Bill Belichick, the master of disguise, was unable to unnerve him. Now along comes Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Gerard Warren, admittedly trying to rattle rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and, in the process, threatening physical harm.

Warren told a group of Cleveland-area reporters Thursday he will be aiming for Roethlisberger's head when the Steelers (7-1) and Browns (3-5) meet tomorrow in Cleveland, even if it means a potential fine from the NFL office.

The league wasted little time reacting to Warren's comments. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue sent letters to Warren and the Browns' organization yesterday, warning that a flagrant foul committed against Roethlisberger could result in Warren's suspension.

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"Yeah, we're going across his head, regardless of cost," Warren said. "That's what we get paychecks for: We pay the cost.

"One rule they used to tell me -- kill the head and the body's dead."

Asked if hitting Roethlisberger in the head might result in a hefty fine, Warren said, "It'll be well worth it. You go across somebody's head a time or two, and they'll be looking for you."

A Cleveland-area reporter told Warren his remarks sounded malicious.

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"That's my personal way of rattling him," Warren said. "This game is all about being malicious and violent."

Coach Bill Cowher declined comment and instructed his players -- most of them, anyway -- to do the same.

But wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who is a friend of Warren, said the comments by the former No. 1 pick from Florida were inappropriate.

"When you play this game to hurt people, you don't need to be playing," Burress said. "We all put our pants on the same way and we all have dreams and aspirations. For someone to come and say you want to hurt somebody, it kind of takes away from it a little bit. And, then, at same time, you got people looking for you.

"He doesn't realize he's not going out playing against just Ben. He's got five guys in front of him he has to get past. This ain't track. This isn't a one-on-one game."

Then, smiling, Burress said, "I thought I raised him better than that."

In the first meeting at Heinz Field, Roethlisberger took what appeared to be a hit to the helmet from Browns defensive end Orpheus Roye on a play that momentarily dazed the rookie quarterback. No penalty was assessed on Roye, and the Steelers did not submit the play to the NFL office. Roye was never fined for the hit.

Roethlisberger came back from the hit to score on a 6-yard run in the first quarter. He finished with 16 completions in 21 attempts for a season-high 231 yards and one touchdown.

Greg Aiello, the NFL's vice president of public relations, said Warren was notified by letter that "if a player commits a flagrant foul after having made such a statement it may be a decisive factor supporting suspension of the player, depending on the entire set of circumstances."

Added Aiello, "He'll be under close scrutiny."

Warren is no stranger to controversy in Pittsburgh. In November 2001, he was cited for having an unlicensed firearm outside Donzi's, a Strip District nightclub. Warren was attending a party hosted by Burress.

"Maybe he was looking for some pub or something," Burress said. "I don't know why you would put the spotlight on yourself like that. All it does is magnify your play.

"We're not going to be the ones who say anything to you. It's going to be the media and TV and everybody else."

First Published: November 13, 2004, 5:00 a.m.

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