CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 14: Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) swings at Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) with Rudolphs own helmet with 0:08 seconds left in the fourth quarter of the National Football League game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns on November 14, 2019, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett ripped off Mason Rudolph’s helmet and beat him over the head with it. He’s going to be suspended.
Myles Garrett was in the midst of a stellar personal season. It’s now over in all likelihood.
Garrett lost his mind with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s night’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. After taking Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph to the ground, the two pushed back and forth before Garrett ripped Rudolph’s helmet off before hitting him over the head with it.
While Pittsburgh may see a few suspensions on its own side in center Maurkice Pouncey and guard David Decastro, their realities pale in comparison to what is happening with Garrett.
Having 10 sacks this season, Garrett is clearly Cleveland’s best defensive player. With six games remaining and the Browns trying to claw back into the playoff chase, this could be a crushing blow to such dreams.
Trying to predict discipline from the NFL is a borderline impossible task, but consider the following… The league prioritizes player safety. Garrett hit a defenseless man over the head with a helmet. This also happened on a standalone game in primetime. There’s no hiding this in any way.
While anything is technically in play, it would be shocking if Garrett isn’t suspended for the rest of the regular season if not longer. There’s really no precedent to base the suspension off, but the optics were hideous.
If Garrett is indeed suspended for a long period of time, the Browns won the game on Thursday night, but the evening was a net loss.