Myles Garrett is appealing his indefinite suspension from the National Football League for swinging a helmet at Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, but the Cleveland Browns star defensive end is not taking all of the blame.
During his hearing, ESPN reports that Garrett told the NFL that Rudolph used a racial slur before he decided to swing the helmet.
Rudolph, however, has denied the allegations.
“Mason vehemently denies the report of being accused of using a racial slur during the incident Thursday night in Cleveland,” Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said in a statement. “He will not discuss this accusation any further and his focus remains on preparation for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“The malicious use of this wild and unfounded allegation is an assault on Mason’s integrity which is far worse than the physical assault witnessed on Thursday. This is reckless and shameful. We will have no further comment.”
From the report:
During an appeal hearing with the NFL on Wednesday, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett alleged that Mason Rudolph directed a racial slur at him just prior to last week’s brawl on “Thursday Night Football,” sources told ESPN’s Josina Anderson and Adam Schefter, an accusation the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback strongly denies.
After the incident, Garrett received an “indefinite” ban that will “at a minimum” include the remainder of this season and the postseason.
n addition to Garrett’s suspension, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns organizations have each been fined $250,000.
As for other players involved in the altercation, additional suspensions have been handed out. Garrett’s teammate Larry Ogunjobi has been suspended for one game without pay, while Steelers offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey has been suspended for three games without pay for fighting, punching and kicking an opponent.
All three suspended players were also fined, though those amounts have not been disclosed.
After the game, Garrett addressed the incident.
“I made a mistake. I lost my cool, and it’s going to come back to hurt our team. The guys who jumped into the scrum, I appreciate my team having my back, but it should have never got to that point. It’s on me,” Garrett said, via Jake Trotter of ESPN. “What I did was foolish, and I shouldn’t have allowed myself to slip like that.
Now, Garrett will have plenty of time to reflect on his actions as he waits to see when he can return to football.