The Pittsburgh Steelers debunked rumors Wednesday that they would bar Cleveland Browns fans from wearing Myles Garret gear at Heinz Field.

Burt Lauten, director of communications for the Steelers, told the New York Post that Browns fans can wear Garrett gear if they want to.

“The report was not true,” Lauten said of rumors that Garret gear was banned. “Plain and simple. Not sure what else I can expand on because it didn’t deserve to get the recognition that it did.”

Lauten also confirmed the news on Twitter.

The original claim came from Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, who claimed that he heard from a source at Heinz Field that fans would be barred from entering if they were wearing Garrett’s jersey.

“I had a Heinz Field employee tell me… that he doesn’t think he’s going to let Myles Garrett jerseys into the stadium, [and] that there’s already been a conversation among some of the security staff and people at the gates at the stadium who are on watch for anything that they think is going to create a disturbance inside the stadium,” Fillipponi said. “Believe it or not, I guess a jersey with a guy’s last name on it is enough to get you either booted or prohibited from the stadium.”

Fillipponi also hinted that there could be violence. “It’s going to be like the Roman Colosseum,” he said.

For his part, Lauten did not respond to questions as to whether the Steelers intend to add additional security for Sunday’s game. Lauten would only say that “Fan security is always of the upmost importance” at Heinz Field.

Of course, the concern centers on Browns player Myles Garrett who was suspended indefinitely last week for using a helmet to strike the bare head of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph during a November 14 broadcast of Thursday Night Football.

Garrett tried to appeal his suspension, but the league rebuffed his claim and upheld the punishment. Garrett claimed that Rudolph yelled a racial slur at him just before the fight broke out, but no evidence was found to support the allegation.
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