On Wednesday, Myles Garrett made his case to the NFL to appeal the indefinite suspension he received for hitting Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head with his helmet.
It doesn't appear the Cleveland Browns star defensive end will have to play the waiting game fo much longer.
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, NFL appeals officer James Thrash is expected to make a ruling on Garrett's future as early as Thursday. Thrash heard Garrett's appeal in-person in New York City on Wednesday -- the same day in which he also denied Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi's appeal of his 1-game suspension.
Last Friday, Garrett was handed an indefinite suspension -- which at a minimum is scheduled to last through the remainder of the 2019 regular season and playoffs -- for his role in a fight that occurred in the final seconds of the Browns' 21-7 victory over the Steelers last Thursday. After tackling Rudolph to the ground, the Pro Bowl defensive end became entangled with the Pittsburgh quarterback, who began to tug on Garrett's helmet in what he claimed was an effort to get him off of him.
Garrett, however, proceeded to rip off Rudolph's helmet, before being separated by Steelers offensive lineman David DeCastro. But after Rudolph charged at Garrett, the former No. 1pick swung his helmet and hit him in the head with it before being tackled to the ground and kicked and punched by Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.
Garrett, Pouncey and Ogunjobi -- who later shoved Rudolph to the ground -- were each ejected from the contest, with Pouncey also receiving a 3-game suspension and both teams being fined $250,000. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Garrett’s argument for an appeal is one based on precedent, with Houston Texans defensive lineman Antonio Smith only receiving a three-game suspension for hitting Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito in the head with his helmet during a preseason game in 2013.
At the very least, Garrett would like the indefinite portion of his punishment dropped, with a finite number of games attached to his suspension.