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It seemed like Thursday night’s matchup between the Browns and the Steelers was going to come to an uneventful close, as Cleveland had a two-touchdown lead over Pittsburgh with virtually no time left on the clock in the fourth quarter.
However, things took a very interesting turn when Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph got into a scuffle that escalated quicker than the fight in Anchorman before the defensive head ripped off the quarterback’s helmet and swung it at the Steeler’s head before getting stomped on by Rudolph’s teammates.
After the game, ESPN’s Matt Fontana reported he saw members of the Cleveland police force walk out of the Browns locker room in what he said was an unprecedented development.
It’s worth noting that it’s unclear exactly why the police were present but it sparked some speculation that Garrett was being investigated for the incident, which left some people wondering if he could be facing criminal charges over it.
After the game, Heavy reached out to a representative of the department and public information officer Jennifer Ciaccia denied there was an active investigation, so it appears Garrett is off the hook—at least for now.
According to Yahoo, there’s a chance things could change if Rudolph ultimately decided to file charges against Garrett but it doesn’t seem that’s likely, as the quarterback brushed things off when he was asked about the fracas in a press conference after the game.
As Sports Illustrated notes, there have been other incidents in the NFL that met the textbook definition of assault but no player has ever been charged for attacking someone on the field, as law enforcement has a tendency to allow leagues to dole out their own discipline.
If Garrett had managed to make contact with Rudolph and caused some serious trauma, there’s a chance that police would overlook the aforementioned precedent, but for now, it appears the only punishment he’ll face is the lengthy suspension that’s sure to be handed out.