Following the brawl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 14, football fans and media members alike have been awaiting quarterback Mason Rudolph‘s punishment. Browns defender Myles Garrett was suspended indefinitely and lost his appeal, but Rudolph had not received a fine or suspension. That changed on Saturday when the NFL docked him $50,000 for his role in the altercation, per insider Ian Rapoport.
Despite allegations of using a racial slur from Garrett, Rudolph was not suspended after this incident. Instead, the league said that there was no audio to prove whether or not he actually directed any comments toward the Browns’ defender prior to being struck over the head with his own helmet.
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“Mason vehemently denies the report of being accused of using a racial slur during the incident Thursday night in Cleveland,” Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said in a statement following the allegation coming to light. “He will not discuss this accusation any further and his focus remains on preparation for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.”
Garrett, Browns defensive end Larry Ogunjobi, and Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey were all informed that they would be missing time for their actions. Ogunjobi will miss one game while Pouncey is scheduled to miss two. His original three-game ban was reduced upon appeal.
According to Rapoport, there are still fines coming for many players on both teams, including those that left the bench area to join the fight. Some penalties have been awarded while others are still on the way. For example, Garrett also received a fine of $45,623 along with his indefinite suspension.
Rudolph met with reporters on Wednesday to discuss the incident, primarily reading from a prepared statement. He said that he should have handled the situation better and kept his composure. Rudolph also said that he has no ill will toward Garrett.
However, there was one moment in which reporters asked Rudolph why he had attempted to pull off Garrett’s helmet while simply trying to get the defender off of him, as he had previously stated. Instead of addressing this question, the Steelers QB simply repeated his comment about trying to get Garrett off of him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers play the winless Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and then will face off with the Cleveland Browns once again the following week. Garrett and Pouncey will not be on the field for this battle, but Ogunjobi will be active once again after serving his one-game suspension.
Photo Credit: Justin Berl/Getty
