CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns fans love their team and its players fiercely, and one person took that support to the next, and permanent, level.
Mike Hamill of Supernova Tattoo Studio in Fortney, Texas, shared on Instagram a photo of a piece he did recently to immortalize the brawl between Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the waning moments of Cleveland’s 21-7 victory at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on November 14.
The tattoo shows Garrett hitting Rudolph in the head with his own helmet, which had been ripped off during a scuffle. Below the incident are the words “Dawg Pound” with football stitching in the middle of the “O” and a growling bulldog at the bottom of the piece.
The incident boiled over when Garrett brought down Rudolph to the ground after a third-down play with eight seconds remaining in the game.
After the hit, Rudolph attempted to remove 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, swinging it at him and connecting on the quarterback.
At this point, Steelers offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey tried to protect his quarterback and stepped into the fray. After Pittsburgh guard David DeCastro separated Garrett from Rudolph and brought him to the ground, Pouncey delivered several kicks and multiple punches to Garrett’s head and neck area.
It was then that Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi escalated the situation further by pushing Rudolph down to the ground from behind, at which time, both benches cleared and a scrum ensued in the end zone that took several minutes to get under control.
Garrett, Pouncey and Ogunjobi were ejected for their actions.
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The “Thursday Night Football” brawl resulted in nearly three dozen individuals and the teams being fined and suspensions for Garrett (indefinite), Ogunjobi (one game) and Pouncey (two games).
Garrett appealed the ban, but did not have it reduced. Now, Garrett must meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after applying for reinstatement in the spring.
“The NFL will be open-minded and listen to Garrett during the offseason, and if his behavior is what the league hopes it will be and his answers are accurate, there’s a strong chance he will not miss any playing time in 2020,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last month.
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