Mason Rudolph spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since his altercation with Myles Garrett last week, and the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback took responsibility for his role in things getting out of hand.
Rudolph read a prepared statement before taking a few questions from reporters. He said he was frustrated with the way Garrett took him down on what he thought was a late hit near the end of a game in which the Steelers had already lost multiple players because of targeting fouls. The 24-year-old also said there is “no acceptable excuse” for the way he reacted.
Mason Rudolph addressed the Thursday incident in a prepared statement and brief Q&A before walk through.
“I consider it a privilege, not a right to be a part of the NFL. To be part of a first class organization … and I fell short of that expectation last Thursday night.” pic.twitter.com/2OHiDWLEBm
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) November 20, 2019
“I should have done a better job of keeping my cool in that situation,” Rudolph said. “In retrospect, I put Maurkice Pouncey — one of the best teammates I’ve ever had — in a tough spot, as well as my (other) teammates.”
Many will interpret that as an admission of guilt from Rudolph, and that is fine. The situation probably would not have escalated had he simply gotten up after the hit from Garrett without losing his cool, but that doesn’t in any way excuse Garrett swinging a helmet at Rudolph and clubbing him in the head with it. What Garrett did was so far above and beyond dangerous that it could have resulted in a severe injury, and that is why the NFL decided to suspend him for the remainder of the season.
Rudolph is reportedly facing a fine from the NFL, and he said he will accept whatever punishment the league hands down. While he may have technically “started” the altercation, there’s a reason Garrett’s own teammates and organization have not even considered coming to his defense.
