Reinstated NFL Star Myles Garrett Reiterates Claim Steelers QB Called Him Racial Slur Before Attack With Helmet
Cleveland Browns Pro Bowler Myles Garrett doubled down twice this week on his claim that Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph called him the N-word during an in-game altercation on Nov. 14, 2019 where Garrett attacked Rudolph with his helmet. Garrett first made the claim several days after Garrett slammed his helmet onto Rudolph’s exposed head, subsequently resulting in an indefinite suspension.
On Friday morning, a local Cleveland Browns beat reporter, Noah Hiles, posted a clip of him asking Garrett immediately after the game what provoked him to attack Rudolph.
Garrett’s response: “You just got to go look at it. I’m not going to comment on it.”
In his Friday morning tweet, Hiles said, “If he did indeed drop a racial slur, why didn’t Myles tell me directly after the game when I asked him? Not saying it did or didn’t happen. I’m just curious as to why he waited a week to explain what caused him to react the way he did.”
Hiles defended his question after posting the video of Garrett’s response, stating, “This tweet was not intended to come off as me ‘going after’ Myles. I just thought that entire situation would’ve been different had he told his version of what happened from the very start.”
Questions about the November incident popped back into the news after ESPN’s SportsCenter teased a one-on-one interview featuring Garrett and Mina Kimes. In the clip, Garrett describes the play where he sacked Rudolph in the final minutes of the Browns’ 21-7 win. As the Steelers quarterback went down, Garrett told Kimes, “He called me a stupid N-word. I don’t say the N-word — whether it’s -er or -er — I don’t say it personally,” Garrett said.
“When he said [the slur], it kind of sparked something,” Garrett said. “But I still tried to let it go and still walk away. But once he came back, it kind of reignited the situation.”
https://www.facebook.com/SportsCenter/videos/182186479765695/
Garrett also told Kimes he wished Rudolph’s choice of words never got out in the first place, because he didn’t want it to be a “justification of his actions.”
His suspension was lifted on Wednesday after almost three months. The former NFL No. 1 overall pick missed the final six games of the Browns season.
Rudolph was not handed a fine or suspension unlike Garrett. After the incident, Rudolph fluctuated as starting and back-up quarterback the rest of the season with Ben Roethlisberger‘s season-ending injury. Garrett and Rudolph are both expected to play next season for their respective teams.
