Mason Rudolph Slighted During 'SportsCenter' Discussion on Pittsburgh Steelers QBs
ESPN unintentionally slighted Mason Rudolph while talking about Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks. On SportsCenter, Elle Duncan and Jeremy Fowler talk about the Steelers QB battle going on during the team's OTAs. While Rudolph was talked about during the segment, his picture wasn't shown in the graphic at the bottom of the screen, according to FanSided.
The screen read: "Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky competing for Steeler starting QB job." Then the descriptor read: "Trubisky opened OTAs with 1st-team reps, followed by Mason Rudolph." Before the segment came to an end, Duncan explained why Rudolph's photo wasn't shown on screen.
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"It's no disrespect to Mason Rudolph, there just wasn't room for his headshot down there at the bottom of the screen, so that's why we just have the two," Duncan said. The Steelers selected Pickett in this year's NFL Draft, meaning his chances of being the starter are very high. But Rudolph has the most experience in the Steeler's system since he was selected by the team in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He has been Ben Roethlisberger's backup for the last four seasons and now has a chance to be the starter after Roethlisberger retired from the NFL earlier this year.
Before Pickett was drafted and Trubisky was signed, Rudolph spoke to the media about getting his show to be QB1. "It's a great feeling," Rudolph told media during his exit interview, per Sports Illustrated. "All that I want is a chance to compete and be the guy here. It seems like that's more of a real possibility now more than ever opposed to the last four years of knowing as long as Ben is healthy, you're not playing. That's very exciting and I'm looking forward to the opportunity."
Rudolph who has played in 17 games with 10 starts, also talked about being ready for the biggest opportunity in his career. "That's all I've ever wanted to be was a starting NFL quarterback, and I think I can do it. I have what it takes," Rudolph said. "I'm ready to get the opportunity again to prove myself. I've admitted I understand that what I've put on tape in 2019 and up until this point, there's still question marks on my game, and I want to prove those people wrong, and I want to prove to myself to my teammates and the guys I really care about."