Sports

Steelers QB Mason Rudolph, a Rock Hill native, calls Myles Garrett’s hit “cowardly”

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, a former star at Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, took a brutal blow to his head Thursday night at the end of their game against the Cleveland Browns.

With 8 seconds remaining of a 21-7 Browns victory, Rudolph was taken to the ground by Cleveland’s Myles Garrett. Garrett then proceeded to drag Rudolph by his helmet and ripped the helmet off. When Rudolph stood up to try and take his helmet back, Garrett swung the helmet and hit Rudolph with on the top of his head.

Pittsburgh offensive linemen then tackled Garrett to the ground and proceeded to punch and stomp on him.

After the game, Rudolph called the the hit by Garrett “cowardly and bush league.”

“A win is a win, I don’t think it’s overshadowed by what happened in 8 seconds,” Garrett told reporters. He also called his actions “foolish,” but wouldn’t address what made him decide to hit Rudolph with his helmet.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin declined comment about the event, telling reporters that they knew what they saw. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield called Garrett’s actions “inexcusable.”

Rudolph, who took a violent hit from the Raven’s Earl Thomas that knocked him cold Oct. 10, passed for 10,986 yards and 132 yards for Northwestern from 2011-2013 before having a successful career at Oklahoma State. He was drafted in the third round by the Steelers in 2018.

This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 12:10 AM with the headline "Steelers QB Mason Rudolph, a Rock Hill native, calls Myles Garrett’s hit “cowardly”."

Matt L. Stephens
The Charlotte Observer
Matt L. Stephens is the Senior Sports Editor for The Charlotte Observer and oversees sports coverage for the Raleigh News & Observer, The State in Columbia, S.C., and McClatchy’s other properties across the Southeast. Before coming to Charlotte in July 2019, Matt was an award-winning editor, columnist and investigative reporter at The Denver Post and Fort Collins Coloradoan.
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