by Cameron Brock
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Garrett Wednesday after serving a six-game suspension for using a helmet as a weapon to strike an opposing player in the head. In case you forgot, Garrett didn’t even use his own helmet. Instead, he ripped off the helmet of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and bashed him over the skull with it.
The hit could’ve easily ended Rudolph’s life, much less his career. You can watch the video here. The league fined Rudolph $50,000 for his role in the scrum. For Garrett’s participation, he received a fine over $45,000 plus an indefinite suspension without pay. Garrett’s suspension ends after the Browns’ final six games of the season, which amounts to a loss of over $1 million.
Garrett has apologized multiple times, but he’s also accused Mason Rudolph of using a racial slur to ignite Garrett’s actions. Typically, this is believable. The reason it’s hard to believe Garrett is because he didn’t bring it up immediately. It randomly came out of the blue when Garrett knew the hammer was about to come down. I can’t say a racial slur wasn’t used. Something may have been said on the field. It doesn’t even have to come from Rudolph. It can come from a drunk in the stands, a different Steelers player or even one of Garrett’s teammates using it against a Pittsburgh player. He may have heard a racial slur. That’s not what ignited him though. We’ve seen this too many times. When a racial slur is used, it comes in a reactionary setting. The person who the racial slur is directed to screams about it to everyone who is in their surrounding area. They will relentlessly cry foul. They make sure it is damn well known that a racial slur was used. Even in a false setting, it’s hard to deny that statement because they are so upset about the choice of words. Myles Garrett was not upset by a choice of words. It was clear during his press conference. Garrett knew he was wrong. Now, he’s doubling down to save his character.
What Garrett should be doing is writing Mason Rudolph a “thank you” note. Why? Because Garrett should be in prison. Garrett should’ve been hit with felony assault with a deadly weapon. Rudolph’s camp chose not to pursue legal action. Garrett’s career was spared by Rudolph. A big reason why Rudolph may not have chosen to press charges is because the two are in the brotherhood that comes with playing in the NFL. It’s an aggressive game. People get hurt. Players lose their sanity on the field. Aggression comes out, but typically everyone keeps their cool at the end of the game.
Let’s pretend Garrett hits Rudolph just right. What if Garrett hits the sweet spot that kills Rudolph? It’s happened in boxing before. Those helmets have more impact on a skull than a fist with some boxing gloves on them. Garrett probably winds up being charged with murder.
Do I want Garrett locked away? I don’t. Everyone loses when someone goes to prison. Yes, a victim and their family may receive justice when someone is locked away. Justice was certainly served when Larry Nassar was sentenced to over a hundred years in prison on top of the sixty he was already serving. Does that mean his victims won? No. His victims lost when he sexually assaulted them. Some of them will never be able to cope with that. Those victims lost. Their families lost. Larry Nassar lost when he was sentenced. He will never be a free man again. So, if Garrett had been charged with assault, Rudolph still would be in the losing category. Why? Because Rudolph probably suffered brain damage that we will see in the not too distant future. CTE is a serious issue in football right now. One of the game’s best human beings, Junior Seau, committed suicide because of damage to his brain that people did not understand during his playing days. If I’m Rudolph’s wife, I’m suing Garrett. If I’m Rudolph’s agent, I’m suing Garrett. Rudolph himself chose not to press charges. He let Myles Garrett walk easy.
Now that Garrett is reinstated, the brawl is back as a hot topic again. Once again, Garrett is accusing Rudolph of using a racial slur. Rudolph’s agent sent out this tweet which indicates Rudolph’s forgiving nature might be pushed past its limits.