The controversy surrounding Mason Rudolph and Myles Garrett just won’t go away. The Cleveland Browns defensive end was recently reinstated following his indefinite suspension for actions against Mason Rudolph. This naturally brought the story back to the forefront of the media and made it a talking point for sports stories across the country. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin recently went on ESPN’s Outside the Lines to express support for the embattled quarterback, notably stating that he doesn’t believe Rudolph used derogatory language against Garrett.
A strong statement from #Steelers coach Mike Tomlin in support of QB Mason Rudolph, in response to the Myles Garrett interview with @OTLonESPN. Tomlin cites many conversations and interactions and says he received no indication of anything racial. pic.twitter.com/je6kVOjL0I
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 15, 2020
Mike Tomlin: I Support Mason Rudolph
Tomlin appears to have done his research on this matter. While he leads off by defending Rudolph’s character through his personal experience with the man, he adds that he was on the field following the violent altercation. According to Tomlin, he spoke with several members of the Browns organization, and not one person mentioned Rudolph using a slur. Tomlin believes that word of racial language would have been mentioned immediately following the incident, but he didn’t hear anything about it.
For those who don’t know, this quote refers to a particularly unsettling incident from the 2019 season. During the waning moments of a Thursday night matchup, Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph got into an altercation. Garrett appeared to hit Rudolph late on one of the last plays of the game, which led to Rudolph shoving Garrett and going for his helmet. Garrett responded by taking off Rudolph’s helmet before David DeCastro intervened and separated the two. Rudolph yelled something at the restrained Garrett and ran towards him before Garrett bashed Rudolph in the head with his own helmet.
Chaos immediately ensued, and Garrett received an indefinite suspension. While the NFL lifted said suspension, reports later leaked that Rudolph used a racial slur, which prompted Garrett’s violent reaction. While we will probably never whether or not Rudolph used derogatory language, it’s worth noting that Garrett is the only one making that claim.
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