Mike Tomlin defends Mason Rudolph, 'hacked off' at ESPN’s portrayal of Steelers QB

Characterizing himself as “hacked off” at ESPN’s portrayal of his young quarterback over the weekend, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin went on the network Monday morning to clear the air.

Saying he “thought it was appropriate that Mason was properly defended,” Tomlin said on “First Take” that he “fully supports Mason Rudolph” against Myles Garrett’s accusation that Rudolph used a racial slur during an on-field tussle in November.

“We as an organization fully support Mason Rudolph,” Tomlin said, “and, to be quite honest with you, we were quite hacked off with what we saw this weekend — not specifically from Myles Garrett; he’s been in the lane that he’s in — but what was displayed by ESPN and that panel. The way the situation was represented I don’t think was fair to Mason Rudolph, and that’s why I am here today.”

Mon #BreakfastWthBenz column--ESPN's coverage of Myles Garrett vs Mason Rudolph was a joke https://t.co/4rUbDWnzUu @TribSports @TribLIVE

— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) February 17, 2020

An ESPN interview with Garrett aired in part Thursday and in full Saturday. It portrayed Garrett in a positive light, but what most (as Tomlin put it) “hacked off” the Steelers was a panel discussion that followed that discussed not the validity of the Garrett allegations but instead presented a reaction to them if they were true.

The NFL has twice said it found “no evidence” Rudolph used a slur during the Nov. 14 Steelers loss at Cleveland. Garrett, the Browns’ star defensive end, aggressively tackled Rudolph in the waning seconds of the 21-7 game after Rudolph released a screen pass — and it is apparently then that Garrett contends Rudolph said the slur.

“We checked with the officiating crew, including the ref who was on top of the play and the ensuing aftermath,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said Saturday. “No player on either team came forward to say they heard him say it on the field. There was also no indication of any players saying they heard him say it in their postgame comments.”

John Steigerwald: Myles Garrett’s verbal attack on Steelers’ Mason Rudolph worse than helmet hit | https://t.co/73PPe6BpA5 https://t.co/uIZ8rsfWmB

— John Steigerwald (@Steigerworld) February 17, 2020

The entire sequence, of course, is most infamously known for Garrett violently swinging Rudolph’s helmet and hitting Rudolph over the head with it. Garrett was suspended for the final six games of the season for the action; it was termed an indefinite suspension, and he was reinstated by the league last week.

It was during Garrett’s initial appeal of the suspension in November that he first alleged Rudolph’s words. No player on either team has corroborated Garrett’s story; many weren’t even aware of his contention until after the fact.

Tomlin previously released a statement Saturday in the immediate aftermath of the ESPN interview with Garrett airing. Rudolph and his agent, Timothy Younger, also released strong statements on verified Twitter accounts that denied Garrett’s claims.

Tomlin went so far as to say he “struggled with” Rudolph facing or deserving any culpability at all for the incident. Rudolph was fined by the league.

“There’s been a lot of negative around Mason Rudolph,” Tomlin said. “He got fined $50,000 for, essentially, getting beat up. His reputation has been tarnished because of the allegations, none of which was founded.”

Younger indicated that he and Rudolph were pursuing legal action against Garrett. Always one to promote moving on and avoiding distractions, Tomlin at first seemed to attempt to that tact before relenting that he would support Rudolph if he did file a civil suit.

“I think it’s probably best we all shut up and move on, but I had that attitude months ago, and it hasn’t transpired,” Tomlin said. “So I would expect (Rudolph) to do what is appropriate in terms of protecting his name and reputation. And I would expect he would do so aggressively — and I don’t blame him.”

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