USA TODAY International Edition
NFL sends message with Garrett ban
The Browns know it. Myles Garrett knows it, and so does everyone else.
NFL officials had no choice but to level a harsh penalty against the defensive end the day after his egregious behavior in Thursday night’s game between Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
Garrett’s transgression speaks for itself. Not even the most die- hard Browns fan can deny the Pro Bowl linebacker’s guilt.
Garrett issued a statement Friday that read, “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.”
It’s one thing to lose your temper and shove or even throw punches at a guy. But when Garrett yanked Mason Rudolph’s helmet off of him and then swung it at the Steelers’ quarterback, connecting with his head, Garrett crossed into indefensible territory.
That’s why the league’s decision to suspend Garrett without pay for the remainder of the season “at a minimum” makes sense and truly doesn’t come as a surprise.
Garret will sit out the final six games of the regular season and any playoff games, if the Browns qualify, and then must apply for reinstatement into the league.
He got lucky, really. Had the crown of Rudolph’s helmet connected with the quarterback’s head, this situation could have resulted in a catastrophic injury.
That’s why the NFL had to send a clear message to ensure Garrett understands the severity of his actions.
We can debate Rudolph’s level or responsibility in the brawl. He hasn’t yet received any kind of punishment, but it’s easy to argue that he, too, should have because he tried his darndest to get Garrett’s helmet off and charged at the linebacker as Steelers teammates shoved Garrett away.
We’ll learn in the coming days what, if anything, NFL officials decide to do with Rudolph.
But there’s no gray area when it comes to Garrett’s actions.
He violated the player code when he turned the helmet into a weapon and aimed to inflict life- threatening harm on his opponent.
Some kind of appeal could come from Garrett’s camp. His representatives will probably argue that the league needs to settle on an exact number of games and not an indefinite suspension.
But beyond that, Garrett has little room to argue any kind of unjust treatment.
He’ll have to watch from home while the Browns continue to try to save their season but without the services of their best player. Garrett will have to forfeit roughly $ 1.139 million in game checks. And he will be stuck with the label of being a dirty and violent player.
That’s probably the saddest aspect of all. Garrett is well respected in the locker room and carries himself with professionalism. Off the field, he’s laid back, mild- mannered, personable. But his frustrations erupted within him and transformed him into an assailant.
Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam issued a statement shortly after the league announced the punishment, and it read, “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.”
Now, the Browns have no choice but to try to put this ugly incident behind them.
Hopefully Garrett learns from this. Unfortunately, this isn’t his first violent on- field episode. In Week 1, he was fined $ 10,500 for punching Titans tight end Delanie Walker. In Week 2, Garrett was fined $ 42,000 for his hits on Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian.
Garrett had talked about the need to better channel his emotions. He knew he needed to better control himself so he didn’t hurt his team. Unfortunately for Garrett, those good intentions went out the window Thursday night as his and Rudolph’s tempers flared.
As he said after the game, he blew it. Now, he can only deal with the punishment and try to find a way to truly change for the better.