Browns Win Game, Lose Minds, Await Consequences
What should've been a moment for the Cleveland Browns to feel like they were getting better and had things working in a positive direction turned into an utter embarrassment in the waning moments of the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With just eight seconds left in the game, Myles Garrett took Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph to the ground which escalated into a full fledged brawl, punches, kicks and a helmet being used as a weapon.
After going to the ground, it appeared as though Rudolph was trying to get into Garrett's helmet while kicking him. Something set Garrett off, who reacted by getting up, picking Rudolph up by his helmet and taking it off of him. At that point, Steelers lineman David DeCastro starting pushing Garrett away from his quarterback.
Rudolph gets up and charges at Garrett behind DeCastro trying to get at Garrett. Garrett responds by swinging Rudolph's helmet at him, appearing to make contact with a glancing blow while getting shoved away. At that point, Pouncey comes in and starts punching Garrett, who goes to the ground. DeCastro holds him down while Pouncey continues to punch and kick him.
Larry Ogunjobi apparently took down Rudolph behind them while that battle was raging. Garrett and Ogunjobi were ejected. Garrett will undoubtedly be suspended, deservedly. It's entirely a question of length at this point.
The reaction from Garrett's teammates is a combination of shock, horror and disappointment. Defensive teammates seem largely shocked because they describe Garrett as such a mild mannered guy, that it was a surprise to see him go off like that.
Offensive guys, like Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham expressed horror and disappointment, almost in disbelief at how awful his actions were.
Baker Mayfield was asked it immediately on the field and said all the right things.
There's no defending Garrett's behavior. He took a helmet and swung it at a player, using it as a weapon. It's going to be dealt with harshly. It deserves to be. That simply can't happen, on a football field or anywhere else.
But Mason Rudolph's actions seem to be lost because of Garrett's. There are two keys here. First, what starts this whole thing and then what escalates it.
Here's what started it. Going to the ground, Rudolph is clearly going at Garrett's head and helmet. It only gets worse from there.
This is where the swing takes place. And it's terrifying. He would do a devastating amount of damage if he was to hit Rudolph clean here with the helmet, potentially permanent harm.
The problem here is that Rudolph is charging Garrett, escalating the situation. DeCastro is pushing Garrett back and Rudolph charges at Garrett who then swings at him. There is no defending the swinging of the helmet. It happened. It should be adjudicated as such. But the swing doesn't happen unless Rudolph goes after Garrett.
None of this is a defense for Garrett. There's no defending the indefensible. It is rather pointing out that there's a lot of wrong to go around in this incident. It would also help to explain why this happened, how something this awful could happen.
For the Browns, they now have to pay the consequences. Garrett will be out multiple games, It could be a month. It could be longer. The precedent here is Albert Haynesworth stomping on Andre Gurode's exposed head, which caused Gurode to get a face full of stitches and led to a 5-game suspension for Haynesworth.
It's more difficult to know with Larry Ogunjobi. He may simply get fined, but he could also get suspended for a game given just how bad the incident was. The Browns at 4-6, can't afford to lose either of them for any length of time. This may not be the reason the season was lost in the first place, but it very well could be the last straw that dooms it to failure.
Fairly or not, everything about this brawl will be used as a referendum on the Cleveland Browns as an organization, from ownership on down. Myles Garrett, who has been accused of being a dirty player in the past, will now be labeled far worse and everything he's done good to this point in his career, particularly off the field, will largely be forgotten.
Eight seconds. The Browns were eight seconds from celebrating a win against the Steelers with everyone talking about Joe Schobert's dominant performance and some great moments from Baker Mayfield. Those eight seconds changed the game, changed the season and there's no telling just how much more it could change when it comes to the Browns as well as the NFL as a whole.
