Getty Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph fights with Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
Poke the bear, expect a fight.
That’s how Jenn Sterger — co-host of RADIO.COM’s “Swing and Mrs.” podcast — views the incident between Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph which took place in November.
Sterger views the helmet-swinging attack on Rudolph from Garrett as “a crime of passion” and also put some blame on the officials for letting the AFC North rivalry matchup get out of hand.
“I find his behavior obviously disturbing, but also it was a crime of passion,” Sterger said in an interview with Heavy.com. “You can tell that they were worked up. It was a game with a lot of penalties, and honestly a lot of dirty plays.”
Earlier in the game — which the Browns won 21-7 — safety Damarious Randall was ejected for a helmet-to-helmet hit and there was plenty of trash-talking to go around on both sides.
Jenn Sterger: Mason Rudolph Not Innocent
Garrett had his indefinite suspension from the NFL upheld after his appeal hearing, but Sterger is in the camp that the Browns star was provoked leading up to the attack.
Despite mostly playing the victim in the brawl and being fined just $50,000 for his role and avoiding a suspension, Sterger said Rudolph got what was coming to him for going after Garrett with a low-blow.
“Cowardly & BushLeague” from the dude that started it?? Really?? & did he say “Bitch” while trying to get up? 3 Steelers 1 Brown, QB being Aggro….played badly, fought worse!
“In my heart, I don’t think that Mason Rudolph is as innocent as he led us all to believe. And I feel at some point, people will be smart enough to realize that. I know for a fact there’s a picture, a screen grab, going around and he cleated Garrett in the dick basically,” Sterger said. “And I’m sorry, but I don’t even own that equipment, but I’m pretty sure if someone cleated me in my junk, I would want to swing at them too. I would just be seeing red at that point, you know what I mean? So, he’s lucky he was able to walk off the field.”
Mason Rudolph Benched Following Fight
The Steelers got their revenge in the rematch between the teams, taking out the Browns and their playoff hopes with a 20-13 victory.
However, Rudolph was not the one leading the charge for the Steelers. Instead, it was undrafted rookie Devlin “Duck” Hodges under center. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t mince words when asked about the decision.
“He has not killed us,” Tomlin explained when asked about the benefit of starting Hodges. “There are not enough plays on his resume to paint with a broad brush. … There is going to be enough pressure on Devlin to perform, so I’m not going to add to it by talking expectations.”
Hodges performed admirably considering the Steelers played the game without their top two offensive weapons in receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back James Conner. Hodges passed for 212 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Other fallout from the fight included suspensions to Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey. There was also nearly $750,000 in total fines doled out.
Ogunjobi was suspended one game and Pouncey was banned for a pair. Pouncey was the only player to have his suspension reduced from the scrap, having been originally been hit with three games. However, he didn’t show a huge amount of remorse when speaking to the media about the incident upon his return.
“At the end of the day, the fight didn’t look good, but the fight was worth it,” Pouncey told reporters in Pittsburgh. “No regrets. I’ve moved on now, man. Everyone had to pay their fines. Everyone had to do their due diligence. The money was worth it, trust me.”
Garrett is expected to return for the start of next season.
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