Browns’ Myles Garrett Suspended Indefinitely for Using Helmet as A Weapon

If you turned off the T.V. before the very last play of the game, you missed the most important part of the night. With 15 seconds remaining in regulation and the game clearly in hand for Cleveland, all that remained was a meaningless passing play that served no other purpose than to pad some stats. Steelers QB Mason Rudolph dropped back and threw a pass to the flat – and here’s where things got crazy…

Browns DE Myles Garrett, who has been flagged for multiple roughing-the-passer penalties already this season, reached Rudolph just after he released the ball. Garrett then wrapped up, held on, and unnecessarily dragged the quarterback to the ground. Rudolph took exception to the late-game tackle, and began to wrestle with Garrett while also attempting to rip his helmet off. While Garrett was getting up, Rudolph forcefully shoved him with a foot to the groin area. Garrett, infuriated by both of these acts, retaliated by grabbing Rudolph’s facemask and ripping the helmet off his head. This is where things should have ended, but Rudolph wasn’t having it.

The second-year QB “had a bone to pick” with Garrett, he said after the game. Rudolph got up and charged the 6’4, 270 LB defensive end, who still had his helmet in hand, and was now being restrained by Steelers offensive lineman David DeCastro. Garrett then violently swung the helmet and connected to the top of Rudolph’s head. Fortunately for everyone involved, the helmet was turned right-side-up and hit Rudolph with the padded undersection. Had the helmet been up-side-down, the amount of force behind the swing could have caused a severe, possibly life-threatening injury.

For that reason, among others, the NFL has decided to suspend Myles Garrett indefinitely. This was an egregious act, but especially during an era in football that is focused on limiting head trauma and reducing concussions, the optics of a helmet being swung and connecting to another player’s head were even worse. The six-game suspension will be the second-longest for an on-field incident in NFL history, behind Raiders LB Vontanze Burfict’s 12-game suspension earlier this season.

Let’s be clear, while Rudolph unquestionably escalated the situation with his rash behavior, the incident began with Garrett’s unnecessarily rough tackle. After that, the subsequent rough-housing was something you could expect to see in a heated divisional game with playoff implications – until Garrett used Rudolph’s helmet as a weapon. There is specific language against this in the rulebook, and no player in the history of the NFL has been foolish enough to violate it. Everyone is responsible for their own actions, and the action by Garrett was way, way out of line. He acknowledged this is in the post-game interview, adding that it was “out of character” for him.

Additionally, Steelers Center Maurkice Pouncey will receive a three-game suspension for throwing punches and a kick to the head of Garrett (who still had his helmet on) in retaliation. While Pouncey’s actions can’t be condoned, they were understandable considering he had just witnessed his quarterback’s head get snapped back from a swinging helmet. Lastly, Browns DT Larry Ogunjobi will receive a one-game suspension for a cheap shot to the back of Rudolph, who had just taken the helmet shot. Ogunjobi should feel fortunate to receive such a lenient punishment for such a cowardly act.

Garrett is gone for the rest of the season and any playoff games the Browns may play. Though, without his services and sitting at 4-6, making the postseason is extremely unlikely at this point. Further than that, it’s unclear at the moment how many, if any games Garrett will miss next season. One thing is clear, this was unlike anything we’ve seen in the history of the NFL, and will be a stain on Garrett’s reputation for the rest of his career.