Nothing was more disturbing and stunning to watch late Thursday night than Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett using the helmet of back-up quarterback Mason Rudolph as his own personal gavel.
Late in the fourth quarter, with just seconds to go, and Cleveland already on its way to a 21-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Garrett drove Randolph to the ground; the two of them tussled a little bit, with Rudolph grabbing a hold of Garrett's helmet. Garrett rose, seemingly enraged by Rudolph's actions, and grabbed a hold of Rudolph's facemark and pulled the quarterback off the ground before finally yanking the helmet off.
As guard David DeCastro tried to protect his quarterback, Rudolph tried to grab his helmet back when Garrett slammed the equipment over Rudolph's exposed head. That led to another altercation as center Maurkice Pouncey got into the mix to protect Rudolph, while Browns linebacker Larry Ogunjobi pushed Rudolph to the ground.
The images have been engrained in all our memories forever. We can see it over and over and over again, and each time it is most disturbing to watch. Slow the video down and it is amazing that Rudolph didn't suffer a concussion or brain damage by sheer power that Garrett dropped on the young quarterback's head.
Had Garrett aimed that helmet any differently, we could be talking about a totally different story -- perhaps a coma, or maybe worse, death and possible homicide charges.
While Rudolph will reportedly not pursue legal charges against Garrett, the NFL was well within its means to suspend him indefinitely. And to be honest, they should suspend him for a very, very long time to come.
At the very least Garrett will not play again for the Browns this season. A true loss for a Cleveland team that at 4-6 is on the outskirts of a playoff spot. Garrett would have been important to any potential run the Browns would have mustered in December. Now they can forget about it.
As quarterback Baker Mayfield said Thursday, Garrett's actions were inexcusable and hurt the team. They did.
Worse, however, Garrett has stained his career forever. However, let's not act like this was a first time offense for Garrett. He has long built a reputation as a quarterback bully and one of the NFL's dirtiest players. Earlier this year against the New York Jets, Garrett was flagged a number of times for ruffing the passer and even broke the leg of Jets quarterback Trevor Seimian.
Siemian hasn't played again since.
Garrett was not kicked out of the game against the Jets, even though he should have been.
Therefore should we really be at all surprised by Garrett's actions? This guy has taken the extreme to the extreme way too many times in the past. He got what he deserved Friday afternoon from the NFL.
The League will continue its investigation. Garrett will offer many apologies, maybe he will agree to counseling, but the NFL should think first before it allows him back on a field again. If anyone is deserving of a multi-year suspension, this might be it.
Late in the fourth quarter, with just seconds to go, and Cleveland already on its way to a 21-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Garrett drove Randolph to the ground; the two of them tussled a little bit, with Rudolph grabbing a hold of Garrett's helmet. Garrett rose, seemingly enraged by Rudolph's actions, and grabbed a hold of Rudolph's facemark and pulled the quarterback off the ground before finally yanking the helmet off.
As guard David DeCastro tried to protect his quarterback, Rudolph tried to grab his helmet back when Garrett slammed the equipment over Rudolph's exposed head. That led to another altercation as center Maurkice Pouncey got into the mix to protect Rudolph, while Browns linebacker Larry Ogunjobi pushed Rudolph to the ground.
The images have been engrained in all our memories forever. We can see it over and over and over again, and each time it is most disturbing to watch. Slow the video down and it is amazing that Rudolph didn't suffer a concussion or brain damage by sheer power that Garrett dropped on the young quarterback's head.
Had Garrett aimed that helmet any differently, we could be talking about a totally different story -- perhaps a coma, or maybe worse, death and possible homicide charges.
While Rudolph will reportedly not pursue legal charges against Garrett, the NFL was well within its means to suspend him indefinitely. And to be honest, they should suspend him for a very, very long time to come.
At the very least Garrett will not play again for the Browns this season. A true loss for a Cleveland team that at 4-6 is on the outskirts of a playoff spot. Garrett would have been important to any potential run the Browns would have mustered in December. Now they can forget about it.
As quarterback Baker Mayfield said Thursday, Garrett's actions were inexcusable and hurt the team. They did.
Worse, however, Garrett has stained his career forever. However, let's not act like this was a first time offense for Garrett. He has long built a reputation as a quarterback bully and one of the NFL's dirtiest players. Earlier this year against the New York Jets, Garrett was flagged a number of times for ruffing the passer and even broke the leg of Jets quarterback Trevor Seimian.
Siemian hasn't played again since.
Garrett was not kicked out of the game against the Jets, even though he should have been.
Therefore should we really be at all surprised by Garrett's actions? This guy has taken the extreme to the extreme way too many times in the past. He got what he deserved Friday afternoon from the NFL.
The League will continue its investigation. Garrett will offer many apologies, maybe he will agree to counseling, but the NFL should think first before it allows him back on a field again. If anyone is deserving of a multi-year suspension, this might be it.
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