Mason Rudolph has once again denied using a racial slur toward Myles Garrett when the two players got into an altercation this past season.
Garrett was reinstated by the NFL this week, and the Cleveland Browns star shed more light on his allegation that Rudolph set him off by calling him a racial slur. Garrett told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that Rudolph called him a “stupid N-word” when the two got tangled up late in Cleveland’s Week 11 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rudolph took to Twitter on Saturday morning and called the allegation a “disgusting and reckless attempt to assassinate my character.”
1000% False.
Bold-Faced Lie.
I did not, have not, and would not utter a racial-slur.
This is a disgusting and reckless attempt to assassinate my character. https://t.co/mZcEcC0tCl
— Mason Rudolph (@Rudolph2Mason) February 15, 2020
Rudolph has denied using a racial slur from the start, and the Steelers have stood behind him. Head coach Mike Tomlin issued a strong statement on Saturday reiterating that he has no reason to believe Garrett’s accusation has merit.
Garrett did not say Rudolph used a racial slur until he appealed his suspension in front of the NFL, which was a week after the incident. He claims he didn’t bring it up sooner because he didn’t want it to seem like he was trying to justify his actions, which included dangerously bashing Rudolph in the head with a helmet. The NFL reportedly interviewed referees and used camera angles to investigate the claim and found no evidence that Rudolph used a racial slur.
Garrett hinted to ESPN that he believes the NFL may have covered up Rudolph’s racist language. Obviously, Rudolph has no intention of backing down from his denial, and there has been no hard evidence against him thus far.
