NOV. 18: Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Ogunjobi’s appeal will be heard Monday, and Pouncey’s appeal will be heard Tuesday. Schefter says that Garrett’s appeal will be heard on Wednesday (Twitter link). Schefter notes in a separate tweet that Garrett intends to be at the hearing to state his case in person.
NOV. 17: The NFL has suspended Browns defensive end Myles Garrett indefinitely, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Garrett will appeal the ban (Twitter link).
In case you haven’t heard, Garrett was the central figure in a horrific melee that broke out in the final moments of Thursday night’s contest between the Steelers and Browns. While both fanbases certainly have their own perspective on the matter, it’s clear that Garrett unnecessarily drove Steelers QB Mason Rudolph into the ground after Rudolph released a pass. The play could have been flagged — and may have been if the game were in doubt at that point or if there were more then eight seconds left — and Rudolph took exception to it.
Rudolph grabbed at Garrett’s helmet and kicked out at him, which caused Garrett to escalate the scuffle beyond what anyone could have reasonably expected, yanking Rudolph’s helmet off of him and striking him over the head with it. That naturally led to a scrum between both clubs that saw Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey (three games) and Browns defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi (one game) receive suspensions. Rudolph, Pouncey, and Ogunjobi were all fined, and obviously Garrett will be fined as well.
As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, more fines will be coming for Rudolph and others. While NFL head of football operations Troy Vincent and his team initially reviewed the footage of the brawl with a focus on who committed offenses worthy of a suspension, they will now comb through the tape to determine the full amount of fines (and what other players may deserve them). Vincent says there will certainly be another wave of fines on the way, and both the Steelers and Browns have been hit with $250K sanctions.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com says the appeals for Garrett, Pouncey, and Ogunjobi will be heard on Monday and Tuesday by jointly-appointed officers Derrick Brooks and James Thrash. The rulings are expected no later than Wednesday. Schefter adds in a separate report that at least 10 players will be fined, and that the announcement will be issued next weekend.
Per Rapoport, Garrett’s camp will argue that the CBA does not allow for indefinite suspensions for on-field acts and that the league should impose a ban for a finite number of games.
Rudolph should have been given 1 game for starting the fight. I guess the nfl figures getting a helmet to the head is enough punishment.
Where is this dumb 3rd grade narrative that “but Mason started it” coming from? Cleveland fans? The cretins that launch bottles onto the field?
This started when Garrett tackled Mason several seconds after the pass was out and drove him into the ground. They both then escalated it, with Garrett doing the most stupid thing IN HISTORY on a field.
When you try to rationalize what Garrett did, you sound like a loon.
No one is rationalizing it; What Myles Garrett was stupid, but Rudolph’s actions warrant a suspension as well. This is the equivalent of a pitcher not getting suspended for throwing at a guy’s head, but giving a long suspension to the batter who charges the mound afterwards. Both are obviously in the wrong and should be suspended, though Garrett for much longer.
It’s nothing like that actually lol. He didn’t swing a helmet at Garrett’s head. He grabbed at his helmet after he was tackled unnecessarily to the ground
He grabbed the helmet and kicked his jewels, he’s not innocent in this.
Rudolph’s actions warranted a 15 yard penalty and no more. If Garrett doesn’t react like he did, this is a total non-story and nothing would happen to Rudolph. You can’t ramp up punishment on Rudolph because Garrett acted like a psychopath.
Um, dude started the physical violence with kicking and shoving Garretts head into the ground.
Wrong – Garrett started it when he roughed him up on the sack – skirmishes happen every week without suspensions – If Garrett doesn’t swing the helmet no one misses a game.
I am not a Cleveland fan and I thing Rudolph should be suspended as well. The late hit deserves a penalty not a kick to the crotch and Rudolph tried to rip of Garrett’s helmet first. Rudolph threw a temper tantrum and if he didn’t do what he did then it would have never escalated to Garrett ripping of his helmet and hitting him with it
So Rudolph gets slammed with a hit that if occurred on anyone named Brady or Rodgers and starts getting physical, over the line yes but suspension no. You see worse hands to the face on lineman every play. Penalty and a fine, suspension no.
Dude, he kicked him in the balls and then tried punching him there. Rudolph is a little coward.
Garrett hit him well after the play was over. It was his dirty hit that started the whole problem. If there is a coward in this scenario, it’s not Rudolph. Rudolph was justified, maybe not to kick the guy in the crotch, but he didn’t try and end the guy’s career.
Dirty hit? LOL. Was there a flag for it? Nope.
That’s because the game was over. No need to penalize him
Dude – wake up – this happens weekly in football without suspensions. No one gets suspended if this moron doesn’t use the helmet as a weapon!!
He literally spun Rudolph so he wouldn’t be thrown into the ground, are you and idiot????
Who is and idiot ?
He kicked and punched Garret in the nuts. He should have been suspended atleast a game
Sounds like a loser squealers fan
Sounds like a classless browns fan
All Browns fans are classless
Got that right. 9 year old me got flipped off and shoved by some a-hole browns fan years ago.. imagine being that pathetic
Nothing tops Leon Lett being Leon Lett
Dude – Rudolph shouldn’t be suspended – fights happen in football every week – no one gets suspended – Why now?
Garrett’s an idiot for using the helmet as a weapon and should be suspended for 14 games. – Anyone that says Rudolph should be suspended doesn’t watch Football.
The biggest difference between college and the NFL is the officiating. The games are better run, they use more people/cameras allowing ref’s to be overturned. They have targeting rules which is a mandatory 4 quarter suspension for the player. And the players don’t do the ‘LOOK AT ME/US!!!!!’ routine on TD’s or other big plays.
If college rules were to have been applied that game. Those head shots on the WR’s wouldn’t have happened & most likely, nor would have this play.
It seems to me you are contradicting yourself here. If games are better run wouldn’t that mean there is less need to overrule refs…hence less need to have additional people and cameras?
I mean the ref’s are ref’ed as well. If a call should be overturned, they allow that. NCAA utilizes today’s tech much more than the NFL. And thus the overall officiating part of the game is better.
I’m old school so I believe (like Tom Brady) that the players should be the focus of games and not the zebras. All this technology just makes officiating into more of a time consuming bureaucracy.
If it was Brady instead of Rudolf getting abused with 8 seconds left in a game and retaliated would he get suspended? The NFL is supposed to protect the QBs.
Oh F off
He actually does raise a good point. If that were Brady or Rodgers getting clubbed on national TV with a helmet, Garrett would have got a permanent ban from the league. Career over.
Obunjobi would have gotten multiple games. But Mason is a scrub backup, so….
no, it makes no sense. that would presume Rudolph would have also been suspended where the others did not, and clearly he got iff pretty easy.
Why did Rudolph get off easy? The guy who used a deadly weapon got off easy.
Rudolph initiated the entire thing, that’s why, moron.
He didn’t initiate the whole thing, “moron.” Have you even watched the tape? That hit is the definition of roughing the passer in the final seconds of a game that was already decided. Go watch the tape, Patrick
No, it isn’t you moron. roughing the passed would be be if a defender lands with his weight on the QB. He CLEARLY spun Rudolph to land on himself (Garrett) You’re blind.
You’re clearly blind if you don’t think that’s a late hit… the ball was way gone. Absolutely no reason to throw him down on a pointless play in a game that was already decided. It must be nice to be a classless browns fan. Enjoy another season of finishing in third place and missing the playoffs you clown
So whem a QB takes a late hit and driven to the ground with 8 seconds left in a game that is decided, that QB started it???
Just trying to follow your bizarre twisted thought process here. Rudolph definitely did not de-escalate things and should be fined for that, but he in no way started this nonsense.
He’s obviously a browns fan.. just upset that he won’t see his team in the playoffs again this year
Your correct the Browns and the Steelers both not going to the playoffs
I’ll gladly take the record the Steelers have without Ben
You would
I would? Yeah I’m pretty sure any Steelers fans would take a 5-5 record with everything that’s happened this year… so please explain what you mean by that
No
He wasn’t driven you moron. Literally nobody anywhere except Steelers fans believe that. Only Steelers fans don’t believe Rudolph initiated or escalated the incident. I never said Myles was guiltl ess, but Y’all sure as he’ll are saying Rudolph is. Y’all are pathetic and clearly biased.
You should try making arguments without calling people morons it might get your point across a little bit more clearly and calmly
He’s a browns fan. They aren’t that clever…
Helmet is not a deadly weapon
Let an NFL player hit you over the head with one and we’ll see if you still think that loser
Sorry I’ve been crying because you called me loser. You waste my time.
Anything can be a deadly weapon…
Garrett would be going back to school with a story for his friends.
I thought Garrett was just trying to help him put his helmet back on…
Aggressive Hit: Yes … no doubt
… but following along the apparently popular opinion: a kick to the groin and attempt to take off the player’s helmet is justified?
… continuing along a pseudo-popular opinion: does anyone really believe Brady or Rogers would’ve reacted that way?
I mean, I’m honestly trying to understand the opinion that Rudolph should go unpunished
It wasn’t an aggressive hit. It was a dirty hit. The guy drove him into the ground several seconds after the play had ended. I’ve have been angry too. Maybe I wouldn’t have kicked Garrett in the crotch, but there’s no doubt that Garrett started it. Browns’ fans can try and turn it on Rudolph, but the hit was dirty. It’s on Garrett
So because he tackled him hard it’s ok for Rudolph to try and rip off his helmet, but was to weak so he had to kick anf punch him in the groin? He was obviously frustrated at his 4 int performance and exposed as the career backup he always was and tried to fight back. Garrett’s actions after the fact were completely unprofessional and deserves the suspension, but Rudolph deserves one game for his role. But maybe the league realizes that allowing him to play is punishment in itself for the Steelers.
Name one other game this has happened. I’ll wait. Also, leading with the head requires the point of the helmet to be down, Randall used his face to hit Johnson. Rewatch the tape.You are blind. If it was a late hit, the ref literally 15 feet away looking directly at them would have called it.
I thought having a wild melee at the end of each game was going to be feature of Vince McMahon’s new league? Looks like the NFL made a pre-emptive strike to steal his thunder.
People are stupid. That’s all that I have to say. And stop watching espn. It’s not good for you
Clearly was Not driven into the ground, not a late hit even … though it would have been called one if it were Brady
The ref right there was watching closely and didn’t throw a flag.
Sure, Rory……..horrific.
smh…..♂️
What boggles my mind is while Garrett should be suspended same with Pouncey how is it Mason Rudolph the guy who started the entire thing by grabbing at Garretts helmet and kicking him with steel cleats was not suspended? Not a fan of either team but this really just goes to show you how the NFL favors the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is not the first time this is happened involving a Pittsburgh Steeler how can we forget all the indiscretions of Ben Roethlisberger and then the helmet to helmet and then taunting by juju Smith Schuster. Which was downgraded from a one game suspension to a fine. How does anyone strike a fellow player helmet to helmet then stand over him taunting and not get at least two games? The reason, the following week they were playing the New England Patriots and the NFL did not want to see him miss that game clear favoritism.
Okay, let’s correct you on some things here before you sound even dumber. Juju’s suspension was never reduced. He served the one game suspension. Assuming you’re talking about ben’s sexual assault case, he served a suspension for it. Believe me when I tell you, there is ABSOLUTELY no favoritism shown by the NFL
Why would the Browns and Steelers be equally fined? That was obviously a bounty game. The Browns were spearing with their helmets and trying to intentionally hurt players. They’ve been doing this all season. They want to play dirty? Wait and see how that flies in the next game in Pittsburgh.
Name one other game this has happened. I’ll wait. Also, leading with the head requires the point of the helmet to be down, Randall used his face to hit Johnson. Rewatch the tape.
If I stepped on your foot, does that mean that you can hit me in the head with a tire iron? Mason started it? Get real!
He wasn’t driven you moron. Literally nobody anywhere except Steelers fans believe that. Only Steelers fans don’t believe Rudolph initiated or escalated the incident. I never said Myles was guiltl ess, but Y’all sure as he’ll are saying Rudolph is. Y’all are pathetic and clearly biased.
Patrick, the more you comment on here, the dumber you sound. Literally every argument you start involves you calling someone a moron. Either come up with a better name to call someone, or gtfo this site.
So you are the self-appointed sure monitor? You sound absolutely foolish.
Okay buddy, I’m the one who sounds foolish. Get a life you clown
Trust me I have a great life.
Haha, I doubt that