Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph says there is “no acceptable” excuse for his role in a brawl with Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett that ended with Garrett ripping off Rudolph’s helmet, then hitting Rudolph on the head with it.
“I should’ve done a better job handling that situation,” Rudolph said. “I have no ill will towards Myles Garrett. Great respect for his ability as a player. And I know that if Myles could go back, he would handle the situation differently.
“For my involvement last week, there’s no acceptable excuse. The bottom line is I should’ve done a better job keeping my composure in that situation and fall short of what I believe it means to be a Pittsburgh Steeler and a member of the NFL.”
Rudolph said he felt Garrett hit him “late” on the next-to-last snap of Cleveland’s 21-7 victory last Thursday, and was unhappy the defensive end would not let him get up. “We had already lost two of our players to targeting penalties from the game,” he said. “As I released the ball, I took a late shot. Did not agree with the way he then took me to the ground and my natural reaction was just to get him off from on top of me.”
Footage showed Rudolph tugging at Garrett’s helmet when he was on the ground. He was asked if that was normal behavior for someone trying to get an opposing player off him. “Like I said, the way he took me down late, it was the last play of the game, I was just trying to get him off from on top of me,” he said.
Garrett was suspended for at least the rest of the season for his part in the incident and his appeal is being heard by the NFL in New York on Wednesday. A decision on whether the league will reduce the suspension is expected in the next few days. Rudolph did not receive a ban but is expected to be fined.
On Monday, Garrett’s teammate Sheldon Richardson said he believed Rudolph should have received a suspension for his actions. “Of course he was,” Richardson said when he was asked if Garrett had been defending himself. “If a guy is scratching at your face, what you going to do? The helmet is overboard, let’s get that clear. But defending yourself, I don’t blame him for defending [himself] at all.”
