Steelers Mike Mitchell speaks out on confusion over NFL rules

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers safety Mike Mitchell spoke out Wednesday afternoon about hits that are landing players with game suspensions.

"Hand us all some flags, hand us some flags and let us go out there and try to grab the flags off," Mitchell said.

Mitchell teed off on the status of football and what's allowed in a hit.

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He's upset that George Iloka's suspension for hitting Antonio Brown helmet-to-helmet was lifted, but JuJu Smith-Schuster's hit on Vontaze Burfict was upheld on appeal.

Plus, it's the same suspension Rob Gronkowski, with the New England Patriots, got for deliberately targeting a player from behind.

Mitchell is angry, and he wants the NFL to hear it.

"At the end of the day, this is football," Mitchell said. "If you want to see flag football, then let's take our pads off. That would make it easier for me because I don't gotta wear heavy (expletive), but give us flags because then I know what we're playing. I signed up to play full-speed contact football, and we're not doing that. I feel like I gotta ask an offensive player, 'Is it OK for me to hit you right now before I hit you?' And that's crazy."

Mitchell also called for a change in leadership.

"Obviously, everybody -- from fans, players, owners -- are all disappointed in Roger Gooddell," he said. "We can’t have a guy where you hand out discipline as you see fit, there needs to be a set guideline of how we do what we do."

Commissioner Roger Goodell was given a contract extension by the owners Wednesday afternoon.

Cox Media Group