Last Thursday, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett ripped the helmet right off the head of Pittsburg Steelers’ quarterback Mason Rudolph, then bashed Rudolph in the head with it. It wasn’t exactly like watching Joe Theismann’s leg get broken, but it was one of the most serious deliberate attacks I’ve ever seen someone make in a football game. Garrett was suspended indefinitely, and he’ll be out for at least the rest of this season.
But sentiment around the incident soon turned towards the idea that Garrett was provoked by Rudolph. O.J. Simpson, who people might not realize was a football player before the whole “double homicide” thing, released a bunch of videos calling Rudolph the instigator.
What started it?
#CLEvsPIT @MylesLGarrett @Rudolph2Mason pic.twitter.com/fmMB0kZbec— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) November 15, 2019
And fellow former Bills player Marcellus Wiley posted a picture that appears to show Rudolph kicking Garrett in the groin.
My satellites are telling me this is why Miles Garrett got medieval on your ass Mason! You ain’t slick! Not going to let them demonize my D-Line brethren Garrett without a balanced conversation! 💯 Now, can someone please justify these pics to me? 🥜 #dontstartnonewontbenone pic.twitter.com/MiA2oRyzxD
— Marcellus Wiley (@marcelluswiley) November 15, 2019
It also came out that Mason Rudolph is a big fan of Racism Hut’s employee of the year Tomi Lahren and spends a lot of time liking social media posts slagging off Colin Kaepernick.
So it was no surprise that Garrett claimed Rudolph started the incident by using a racial slur. Via NBC:
“I was assured that the hearing was space that afforded the opportunity to speak openly and honestly about the incident that led to my suspension,” Garrett said. “This was not meant for public dissemination, or was it a convenient attempt to justify my actions or restore my image in the eyes of those I disappointed. I know what I heard. Whether my opponent’s comment was born out of frustration or ignorance, I cannot say. But his actions do not excuse my lack of restraint in the moment, and I truly regret the impact this has had on the league, the Browns and our devoted fans.”
The league replied that there’s no evidence that Rudolph used the slur, but whether he did or not the Steelers should cut his sorry ass.
The reasoning is simple, and has nothing to do with Rudolph being a racist piece of s**t; he’s a terrible quarterback, probably the worst starting quarterback in the NFL. True, he’s the backup and he’s only playing because Ben Roethlisberger is injured yet again, but he”s just terrible.
And there’s a perfectly good quarterback out there with a rocket arm who could come on to the field and make Mason look like the clown he is: Colin Kaepernick. At this point it’s really a no-brainer; the backlash over signing a player who protests police brutality and systemic racism can’t be as bad as standing by a racist guy allegedly dropping the n-word on the field.