A violent brawl erupted towards the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers versus Cleveland Browns game on Thursday night after Browns defensive end Myles Garrett hit Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head with his helmet. The incident, which happened with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter, resulted in three players being ejected — Garrett, Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and Steelers offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey. Ogunjobi was ejected for shoving Rudolph to the ground from behind and Pouncey was ejected for kicking Garrett while he was on the ground.
This Mason Rudolph and Myles Garrett incident is insane. #Steelers #Browns pic.twitter.com/yg8dH3vJNg
— Carson Cunningham (@KOCOCarson) November 15, 2019
“That’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen on a professional sports field” pic.twitter.com/UdOrcDV7Y0
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) November 15, 2019
Well #Browns–#Steelers turned into an ugly cage match. Dude that hit Rudolph in head deserves suspension. And Pouncey kicking, too. There should be multiple suspensions. This is a mess #Denver7 pic.twitter.com/z7IM5b8Agm
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) November 15, 2019
The video of Garrett hitting Rudolph went viral and a number of Twitter users had a lot to say.
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“Rudolph is really lucky the helmet opening hit him, not the outside/crown. I’d go to war with Pouncey. He wanted Garrett’s blood,” one user wrote.
Another Twitter user added, “Maybe Mason shouldn’t have chased after Garrett aaaaand try to be a tough guy after he got hits helmet taken… he acted kinda ridiculous too.”
“Looks like something that happens at least 5 times in every game and no one gets hit with a helmet over it… see ya next year Myles,” wrote another.
After the game, Rudolph shared his thoughts on being hit on the helmet by Garrett by saying how he “thought it was pretty cowardly,” but for the most part was all right. “I’m fine. I’m good. Good to go,” he said when talking about how he feels after taking the hit to the head.
Pouncey believes Garrett should be suspended for the rest of the season. “Absolutely. Absolutely. 100 percent,” he said to reporters. “We’ll see how serious the NFL is about their players. At that point, it’s bigger than football. It’s protection. … He could have killed him. What if he’d hit in him the temple?”
The Browns won the game 21-7 and they improve to 4-6 on the year, and while it was a big win for the Browns as they stay in the playoff picture, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. feels like the team lost based on what Garrett did.
“For what direction we’re headed in, for this organization, it just was not where we’ve been going, and it does feel like we lost the game,” Beckham said.
The next step is for the NFL to review the video and then hand down suspensions. It’s very likely Garrett will be suspended for the team’s final six games of the year and possibly the first part of the 2020 season.
