Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is suspended for the rest of the season for hitting Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head with a helmet and his high school coach can’t believe it. Bob Wagner, the head coach Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, spoke to USA Today about Garrett’s actions on Thursday night and he said he would have never expected that from him.
“Let me start by saying this: There is no justification for that act,” Wager said. “I will also say that this is a very emotional game. And again, that’s not justification. But until you’ve been at the bottom of a pile, until you’ve had some of those experiences, I would suggest that you refrain from judgment. If he could take it back right now, he would in a heartbeat. That is not a representation of the Myles Garrett that I’ve grown to love.”
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Wagner went on to say that he’s never seen anything like what Garrett did. On Friday morning, Wagner called Garrett and his mother, Audrey on Friday morning. “My message was, ‘Hey, we love you,’” Wager said. “‘We support you. You made a mistake. And this too shall pass.’ And it will. He’s not perfect. None of us are. He made a big mistake,”
Once the suspension was handed down the Garrett, he released a statement about the incident. Garrett said, “Last night, I made a terrible mistake. I lost my cool and what I did was selfish and unacceptable,” Garrett said in the statement. 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 and 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.”
Along with Garrett being suspended, both the Browns and Steelers were fined $250,000 and the league handed down suspensions to two other players. Garrett will not only miss the Browns six regular-season games, but he will also miss any postseason games if the Browns make it that far and he will have to meet with the commissioner in order to be reinstated. Garrett ends the 2019 season with 11 tackles or loss and 10 sacks in 10 games.
