Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett reportedly alleged on Wednesday in an appeal to the NFL that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph called him a racial slur in the moments leading up to a recent on-field fight between the two players.
“Garrett made the allegation as part of his initial comments during the appeal hearing in New York, sources said,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. “It created an argumentative exchange between both sides about whether the allegation was permissible to be used in the appeal at that time.”
“When the allegation was made, appeals officer James Thrash remained stoic and took copious notes, sources said,” ESPN added. “He did ask Garrett a question about how he might act differently in the future, and Garrett conveyed he would not let events escalate like that again in the future.”
The Steelers, Rudolph, and Rudolph’s lawyer all strongly denied the accusation from Garrett.
Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said: “Mason vehemently denies the report of being accused of using a racial slur during the incident Thursday night in Cleveland. He will not discuss this accusation any further and his focus remains on preparation for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.”
Rudolph’s attorney, Timothy M. Younger, said: “According to ESPN, in his appeal, Myles Garrett falsely asserted that Mason Rudolph uttered a racial slur toward him, prior to swinging a helmet at Mason’s uncovered head, in a desperate attempt to mitigate his suspension. This is a lie. This false allegation was never asserted by Garrett in the aftermath of the game, never suggested prior to the hearing, and conspicuously absent in the apology published by the Browns and adopted by Garrett. The malicious use of this wild and unfounded allegation is an assault on Mason’s integrity which is far worse than the physical assault witnessed on Thursday. This is reckless and shameful. We will have no further comment.”
Garrett’s appeal to the NFL comes after he was suspended indefinitely for the November 15th incident in which Garrett ripped Rudolph’s helmet off his head and hit him in the head with it.
Not sure how they let Garrett play again this season after this. Yanking Rudolph by the face mask until his helmet came off, then hitting him with his helmet in the head? pic.twitter.com/hfbqHt43uo
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) November 15, 2019
The following day, Garrett responded, “Last night, I made a terrible mistake. I lost my cool and what I did was selfish and unacceptable. I know that we are all responsible for our actions and I can only prove my true character through my actions moving forward. I want to apologize to Mason Rudolph, my teammates, our entire organization, our fans and to the NFL. I know I have to be accountable for what happened, learn from my mistake and I fully intend to do so.”
Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam responded to the incident the following day, saying, “We are extremely disappointed in what transpired last evening at the end of our game. There is no place for that in football and that is not reflective of the core values we strive for as an organization. We sincerely apologize to Mason Rudolph and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Myles Garrett has been a good teammate and member of our organization and community for the last three years but his actions last night were completely unacceptable. We understand the consequences from the league for his actions.”