CLEVELAND — Earlier this week, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett alleged to ESPN that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph used a racial slur, which tipped off an ugly brawl that marred the game between the AFC North Division rivals at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on November 14.
Rudolph has denied saying anything of the sort since it was reported that Garrett claimed during his appeal hearing that the racial slur was used and the quarterback continues to proclaim his innocence and took to Twitter Saturday to once again defend himself.
“1000% false,” Rudolph wrote. “Bold-Faced Lie.
“I did not, have not and would not utter a racial slur. This is a disgusting and reckless attempt to assassinate my character.”
During a one-on-one interview with Mina Kimes, Garrett told ESPN that Rudolph “called me the N-word. He called me ‘a stupid N-word.’”
“I still tried to let it go and still walk away, but once he came back, it kind of reignited the situation,” Garrett said. “And not only have you escalated things past what they needed to be with such little time in the game left, now you’re trying to re-engage and start a fight again.
“It’s definitely not entirely his fault. It’s definitely both parties doing something that we shouldn’t have been doing. I don’t say the N-word, whether it’s with ‘a’ [or] ‘er.’ To me personally, just shouldn’t be said, whether it’s by family, friends, anyone. I don’t want to use it because I don’t want [people to] find that appropriate around me for anyone to use.”
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Garrett was indefinitely suspended for the balance of the 2019 season as a result of the helmet-swinging incident involving Rudolph in the waning seconds of a 21-7 Browns win in front of a national television audience on Thursday Night Football.
The incident boiled over into a brawl when Garrett brought Rudolph to the ground after a third-down play with eight seconds remaining in the game.
Following the hit, Rudolph attempted to rip off Garrett’s helmet after delivering a couple of kicks below the belt of the Pro Bowl defensive end. Garrett responded by ripping off Rudolph’s helmet with several powerful tugs, and later, swinging it at and connecting to the quarterback’s head when the signal-caller pursued the matter further.
When Garrett ended up on the ground after getting tangled up with Steelers offensive lineman David DeCastro, center Maurkice Pouncey responded to the actions against his quarterback by delivering several kicks to the helmet and multiple punches to the Browns’ edge rusher.
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It was then that Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi escalated further the already volatile situation by pushing Rudolph from behind and to the ground, at which time, players left both benches and a scrum ensued in the end zone that took several minutes to get under control.
Nearly three dozen individual players and both teams were fined for the brawl, while Garrett (indefinite that became the final six games of the season), Pouncey (three games reduced to a two-game ban) and Ogunjobi (one game upheld upon appeal) were suspended for their roles.
Garrett was reinstated by the NFL earlier this week. However, following his latest comments, the law firm Younger & Associates (which represents Rudolph) is now threatening Garrett with a lawsuit.
"Mr. Garrett maliciously uses this false allegation to coax sympathy, hoping to be excused for what clearly is inexcusable behavior," the firm claimed in a statement on Twitter. "He is now exposed to legal liability."
Garrett has not yet commented on Rudolph's response, not his supposed desire to sue.