Browns ‘embarrassed’ by ‘inexcusable’ Myles Garrett helmet swing | TribLIVE.com
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Browns ‘embarrassed’ by ‘inexcusable’ Myles Garrett helmet swing

Chris Adamski
| Friday, November 15, 2019 3:02 a.m.
Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review
The Steelers and the Browns clear the benches after the Browns’ Myles Garrett ripped off Mason Rudolph’s in the fourth Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

CLEVELAND — Myles Garrett didn’t offer any excuses. And neither did his teammates.

Across the Cleveland Browns locker room and at the postgame podium at FirstEnergy Stadium, there was unanimous admonishment for Garrett’s notorious helmet swing toward the bare head of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the final minute of Cleveland’s 21-7 win Thursday night.

“He understands what he did,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said. “He understands what he did is totally unacceptable.”

Several Browns players seemed resigned that the NFL will suspend Garrett — and none of them suggested that it would be unfair or undeserved if the league did.

“There’s no way to justify it,” Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said. “You just can’t do it. There’s no place in this game for it.”

Cleveland #Browns defender Myles Garrett ripped of #Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph's helmet and clocked him in the head with it during the final seconds of Thursday night's AFC North matchup.https://t.co/lb28d3Ki7y

— TribLIVE.com (@TribLIVE) November 15, 2019

The Browns locker room was closed for several more minutes than the league-mandated 10-minute “cooling off” period. Kitchens and players seemed to get on a common message of contrition for Garrett’s actions.

“It is inexcusable,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “He knows that.”

“I am embarrassed; Myles is embarrassed,” Kitchens said.

Garrett likewise said he was embarrassed by his helmet swing, which came after he ripped Rudolph’s helmet off of him after the two had tussled on the ground. Rudolph extended his leg in an apparent effort to push Garrett away as Garrett stood over him, so it could be interpreted that Rudolph “kicked” Garrett in the groin area. Rudolph also charged toward Garrett at one point.

In other words, Garrett and the Browns had ample opportunity to pass blame to Rudolph or the Steelers. But other than repeated vague references by Garrett to “watch the film,” Garrett joined his teammates in taking responsibility for his act, one that was by any interpretation the most egregious of any other moment in the scrum that occurred with 8 seconds to play in regulation.

He hit Mason Rudolph with his own helmet!!?! pic.twitter.com/u5Q1YcQu7W

— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) November 15, 2019

“It’s embarrassing, foolish and a bad representation of who we want to be and what we are trying to do with the rest of the season,” Garrett said.

“I made a mistake,” Garrett said moments earlier. “I lost my cool, and it’s going to come back to hurt our team.”

Reporters asked Garrett if he feels as if he’d be suspended for the season. He said he didn’t know, but it was not treated as an outlandish question.

Beckham outright offered that Garrett “is going to lose a game, maybe two, you never know.”

“We don’t know the extent of what is going to happen to Myles,” Mayfield said, “but we have to roll with the punches.”

Kitchens and many Browns expressed regret that instead of talking about their second consecutive win — and the moribund franchise achieving victories against their bitter rivals Steelers and Baltimore Ravens in the same season for the first time ever.

“It feels like there are some things that are bigger than football that need to be addressed or needed to be addressed, in the locker room after the game,” linebacker Joe Schobert said. “It kind of tones down the enthusiasm of getting a win — a big-time win over a divisional opponent.”

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