GARRETT, RUDOLPH IN NO MOOD TO TALK
ABOUT 2019 BRAWL
PITTSBURGH
The scene is forever ingrained in whatever becomes of Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph’s respective NFL careers.
Thirteen months removed from the ugly brawl in Cleveland that both players have painstakingly tried to move past, their paths will cross again on Sunday. Rudolph starts in place of Ben Roethlisberger as the AFC North champion Steelers (12-3) visit Garrett and the Browns (10-5).
Neither Garrett nor Rudolph has any intention of rubbing their fingers over the emotional scars of the fight that ended with Garrett ripping off Rudolph’s helmet, then hitting him with it in the waning seconds of Cleveland’s 21-7 win in November 2019. There’s too much at stake.
The Browns can end an 18-year playoff drought with a victory. A solid performance by Rudolph would quiet — at least momentarily — concerns about his longterm viability as Roethlisberger’s eventual successor.
“This game is too big to worry about anything external that happened years ago,” Rudolph said Friday.
If only it were that simple.
The moment Garrett swung Rudolph’s helmet at the quarterback’s exposed head, their exchange transcended sports. Garrett’s allegation in the aftermath that Rudolph uttered a racial slur only heightened the tension even as the NFL found no proof to substantiate Garrett’s claim. Rudolph weighed legal action while vehemently defending himself.
The NFL suspended Garrett indefinitely and fined Rudolph, who was benched at halftime a week later following a shaky performance against the Bengals. While Rudolph declined to place the blame for his demotion on the white-hot spotlight, he’s aware it’s been more than a year since he played in a meaningful moment.
“I think to look at this as anything (like) an opportunity to prove yourself to your teammates and coaches is silly,” Rudolph said. “I don’t want to make it too big. It’s a great chance to score some points and try to win a ballgame.”
Rudolph threw four picks while getting drilled repeatedly on national television last time at Cleveland — a place where the lasting image of Rudolph’s still f ledgling career is of him screaming at Garrett while being restrained by teammates after getting clubbed with his own helmet.
Asked if there has been any contact between his camp and Garrett’s during the interim, Rudolph said no. He added he has “a lot of respect” for Garrett and would welcome any pregame interaction Garrett might initiate.
“I’m happy to hear Myles out with whatever if he wants to approach me, if he wants to talk,” Rudolph said. “He’s a great player and they are playing well as a defense. He’s a menace in the backfield. He’s very disruptive. When they are playing at their best, he’s sack-fumbling and he’s getting to the quarterback.”
The idea of some sort of detente seems remote. While Garrett said if Rudolph wanted to talk he would “go with the flow” it’s more likely any meeting would come when Garrett’s No. 95 bears down on Rudolph’s No. 2 in the middle of a play. In that moment, their rocky past won’t matter.