On Monday, Myles Garrett turned plenty of heads when he apparently attempted to remove Mason Rudolph’s after tearing off the quarterback’s helmet and swinging at him in the closing seconds of the game between the Steelers and the Browns.
Myles Garrett swings helmet then gets stomped on by the Steelers wow https://t.co/kDl8ThEe67
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) November 15, 2019
While Rudolph certainly had a hand (or, more accurately, a foot) in escalating things, Garrett’s actions were pretty indefensible and he paid the price, as it didn’t take long for the NFL to announce it would be suspending him for the rest of the season (Rudolph would be hit with a fine for his troubles).
On Wednesday, Garrett got the chance to plead his case when he met with the NFL to appeal his punishment and dropped a bomb when he accused Rudolph of throwing a racial slur in his direction—a claim that the quarterback’s attorney swiftly denied.
— Younger & Associates/QB Limited/Tim Younger (@YoungerAssoc) November 21, 2019
If you think it’s a little odd this allegation didn’t come to light sooner than it did, you should know you’re not alone and that you’re not the only person who was caught off guard by it, as both Baker Mayfield and Sheldon Richardson said their teammate neglected to mention it to them before they were informed of the development on Thursday.
Just asked Baker Mayfield about Garrett’s allegation that Rudolph used a racial slur and he seemed pretty stunned. Said wasn’t something he’d heard, including from anyone on the team, until I just asked him
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 21, 2019
I asked Browns DT Sheldon Richardson if Myles Garrett had ever told him what Garrett alleged about Rudolph in the hearing. Richardson said he hadn’t and said my question was the first he’d even heard about it.
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 21, 2019
However, that doesn’t mean Garrett doesn’t have the support of some of his teammates, as both Joel Bitonio and Odell Beckham Jr. said they had no reason to think Garrett would make something like this up.
#Browns Joel Bitonio said if Myles Garrett said Rudolph used a racial slur, he believes him. Also said one of the #Steelers OL such as Pouncey was prob mic’d up
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) November 21, 2019
Odell: “I just don’t see Myles as someone who would lie…” pic.twitter.com/sBO6hbMft6
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 21, 2019
As of right now, this is a vintage “he said, he said” situation and it’s kind of useless to speculate on who’s telling the truth until some solid evidence comes to light. However, it is kind of bizarre that Garrett would keep this a secret from his teammates and take as long as he did to bring up the accusation.