Garrett, Rudolph in no mood to rehash 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 Jan. 3. Rudolph starts in place of Ben Roethlisberger as the AFC North champion Steelers (12-3) visit Garrett and the Browns (105).

Neither Garrett nor Rudolph has any intention of rubbing their fingers over the emotional scars of the fight that ended with Garrett ripping of Rudolph’s helmet, then hitting him with it in the waning seconds of Cleveland’s 21-7 in November 2019. There’s too much at stake.

The Browns can end an 18year playoff drought with a victory. A solid performance by Rudolph would quiet — at least momentarily — concerns about his long-term viability as Roethlisberger’s eventual successor.

“This game is too big to worry about anything external that happened years ago,” Rudolph said Jan. 1.

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.

he 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 fledgling 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.