© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN's Fake News, Garrett's Claim Unfair to Mason Rudolph
The past week with it being February and all, the NHL Network has been replaying the movie, Miracle, about the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team. There is a scene in the movie during the first group game with Sweden as the USA trails 2-1 in between periods where head coach Herb Brooks, played quite well by Kurt Russell, goes up to Rob McClanahan, who has taken his pads off because of a upper leg contusion, and asks what's wrong with him and tells him to put his gear on. McClanahan explains the leg injury and that the team doctor told him he was out.
Brooks then says, "Yeah, yeah, I know you've got a bad bruise. Put your street clothes on because I've got no time for quitters."
Before McClanahan can explode, team captain Mike Eruzione says, "C'mon Herb, nobody's quittin here."
Brooks quickly says, "You worry about your own game, plenty there to keep you busy."
That would go for former Oklahoma State and current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, but Rudolph had no choice.
Rudolph was attacked in a game last season and while he may have brought some of it on himself, he has been dragged deeper and more inflammatory into the situation ever since. It was an injury that finally ended his season, but it was the mess in Cleveland and fake news courtesy of Browns recently reinstated defense end Myles Garrett and ESPN that continue to disrupt football for Rudolph.
Mason Rudolph had earned the back-up job for the 2019 season in Pittsburgh when Ben Roethlisberger in game two of the season injured his elbow against Seattle. Following the game Roethlisberger was ruled out for the season and had surgery on the injured elbow. It was now Rudolph's job.
It wasn't smooth, but Rudolph was making progress and had led the Steelers to a 4-2 record as a starter. Going into the Thursday night game in Cleveland, Rudolph had completed 131-of-203 passes for 1,330-yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Cleveland game was a disaster as the Browns won 21-7. Rudolph completed 23-of-44 passing for 221-yards and one touchdowns with four interceptions.
Worse, as the game was finishing up he was sacked again by Garrett and the Browns defensive end ripped the helmet off Rudolph's head. Rudolph charges back at him and Garrett uses the helmet as a weapon and slings it at Rudolph's head. Thirty-three players between the two teams and the organizations of the Browns and the Steelers were all fined. There were suspensions including Garrett being suspended indefinitely.
Rudolph struggled and lost his job to Devlin Hodges only to see Rudolph get back on the field against the Jets in game 15 and bring the Steelers back, completing 14-of-20 for 129-yards and a touchdown before a shoulder injury ended his season for good.
At the time of the incident with the Browns and Garrett, the NFL fully investigated as Garrett insinuated that Rudolph used a racial slur and that provoked Garrett. NFL fields are mic'd up for audio from some very expensive equipment on the sidelines for television, radio, and film. Often, players have mics in their helmets. The NFL looked or listened for evidence.
Now that he has been reinstated, Garrett said he did not want to make this a racial issue and that he wants to leave the incident behind on the field, but his interview with ESPN’s Mina Kimes defies that. He told Kimes that Rudolph called him “the N-word, a stupid N-word,” which “sparked” him to rip off Rudolph’s helmet and him over the head with it. Later, he says there was no excuse for his actions.
Myles Garrett walking off the field after being ejected that night claims he wants to leave the incident on the field, but his actions say something completely different.
Sports Illustrated/Maven
He also, rather poorly tried to explain later in the interview, that the NFL covered up Rudolph's racial slur by not releasing the audio.
The best advice for Garrett might be to take his own initial advice and leave the incident behind. I realize Garrett's persona is damaged and he won't be doing any endorsement's soon unless it is for an anger management course. He also leaves himself open for a lawsuit because of the damage to Rudolph's character.
Rudolph denies, vehemently denies the claim by Garrett.
"You saw it, 1000 percent false. I did not, have not, and would not utter a racial-slur."
Mason Rudolph is not perfect, but in all the time I was around him at Oklahoma State, I never knew him to be a liar. I also never saw any signs that he was racist.
Rudolph was more of the fun loving guy like his college coach, Mike Gundy. Oklahoma State fans will never forget the night they both took their shirts off in front of a pep rally crowd in Stillwater.
It is hard to imagine the Rudolph we all knew in Stillwater for four solid years using that word on a football field. It just wasn't him.
There were plenty of players around Rudolph in that incident, players from both teams, players from multiple races. I can't believe that somebody would back Garrett up if they heard Rudolph use that word.
The fact that his own coach has stepped way out to defend Rudolph says a lot as well.
"I took offense to it, to be quite honest with you," Tomlin told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith on First Take on Monday, February 17. "... I fully support Mason Rudolph. We, as an organization, fully support Mason Rudolph. To be quite honest with you, we were hacked off by what we saw this weekend."
Tomlin went further and made it clear he felt his quarterback was having his character assassinated, "I think [Rudolph's] reputation needs to be defended and defended aggressively."
Now, the fake news. Garrett is the messenger, but ESPN is the vehicle. Honestly, I don't know if any sports media entities would have turned this down and that is an indictment of our business and it's current state, but considering that the NFL investigated this very thoroughly after it happened. Bringing it up again, hits my definition of fake news. Tomlin insinuated that it fit his too.
"These accusations are serious, not only in terms of Mason Rudolph's character, but his professional pursuits," Tomlin continued talking on the show. "Nobody on that field, as a member of the Cleveland Browns or the Pittsburgh Steelers, corroborated what was said by Myles Garrett. ... At no point during that piece this weekend was that stated."
Tomlin wasn't through. He kept going.
"It was presented as a he-said/he-said situation, even to this day," Tomlin said. "I think the National Football League office was very clear that they launched a thorough investigation among all parties involved, including interviewing the people and the analysis of technology that was on that field, and found no evidence of Myles' allegation, and I think that should be stated."
Rudolph has done no interviews and I don't expect that he will. People are going to believe what they want to believe and Rudolph will likely have to battle this with his image for awhile. He won't have to in the Steelers locker room.
If I were Garrett, again, I think I would follow my own advice and leave it on the field and behind. Because much more of this and you might see an NFL first, a player suing another player over defamation of character.
