Thursday Night Football between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns ended with a wild scene when a brawl broke out. Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett hit Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with Rudolph’s own helmet before members of the Steelers offensive line came to their quarterback’s defense.
Most of the criticism has been directed at Garrett for his helmet swing, but ESPN’s Max Kellerman had a different take.
While discussing the incident on ESPN’s First Take, Kellerman shared his thoughts that Rudolph should also be suspended for instigating the fight. After all, it was Rudolph who first reached for his opponent’s helmet, delivered a strike to the groin, and then charged at Garrett after they had already been separated.
“Mason Rudolph should be suspended a game, he was the one who started the fight tried to take Myles Garrett’s helmet off, then when Myles Garrett is being restrained by two of Mason Rudolph’s teammates Mason Rudolph without his helmet charges Myles Garrett,” Kellerman said.
Later in the show, former NFL offensive lineman Damien Woody responded to Kellerman’s comments that Rudolph instigated the fight.
“Max, I’ve been hearing this whole argument from you this whole morning and I want to set the record straight on this, when you’re talking about taking off a helmet that’s where everything stops, the fact that Myles Garrett stripped the man of his helmet and used the helmet as a weapon,” Woody said. “Max do you understand what could have happened in this situation, because what I’m hearing from you is a bunch of whataboutism, Max we’re talking about someone who could have been killed or seriously injured.”
In the end, Garrett was suspended indefinitely while Rudolph escaped immediate punishment from the league.
