An ugly AFC North game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns turned even uglier in the closing moments of Thursday Night Football.
With the Browns comfortably ahead 21-7 with only seconds remaining, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett ended up on top of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph after the latter had dumped off a meaningless pass. Taking exception with the way Rudolph was fighting him off from below, Garrett ripped off the 24-year-old QB’s helmet and struck him in the head with it once they were off of the ground.
From there, a brawl broke out and both Garrett and Rudolph ended up back on the ground.
That’s assault, Myles Garrett should not play another game this season. pic.twitter.com/rH4ko6lAdV
— Maximiliano Bretos (@MaxBretosSports) November 15, 2019
If Myles Garrett did this to Tom Brady he’d be sent to the electric chair tonight pic.twitter.com/f9p2ON3dre
— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) November 15, 2019
It was a bad look for Garrett and the Browns and suspensions, which could extend for the rest of the season, are likely on the way.
“What I did was foolish, and I shouldn’t allow myself to slip like that,” Garrett said after the game. “That’s out of character, but a situation like that where it’s an emotional game, and I allowed myself to fall into those emotions with what happened.”
Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw for two touchdowns and ran in another one, called his teammate’s actions “inexcusable.”
“There’s no other way around it, he’s going to own up to it and he’s going to handle it and this locker room is going to have to come together because this is going to be a soap opera on the outside much like the media has portrayed us to be for the whole season,” he said.
The game was a rough one for the Steelers before the melee, as Pittsburgh wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson were both forced from the game early with concussions suffered from helmet-to-helmet hits. Johnson’s ear was bleeding as he left the field and Browns safety Damarious Randall was ejected for hitting him.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson was seen BLEEDING FROM HIS EAR after a hit by Damarious Randall. Randall was ejected. #CLEvsPIT pic.twitter.com/1hXCNovmkP
— All Sports Culture (@AllSportCulture) November 15, 2019
Fans won’t have to wait long for what should be a hotly contested rematch: the two teams play again in Pittsburgh in two weeks.
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