Steelers' Mason Rudolph Gives Never Before Heard Breakdown Of The Myles Garrett Helmet Incident

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the few teams in the NFL to have a consistent backup quarterback. Mason Rudolph has served as the second or third string quarterback for the Steelers in every year but one since the 2018 season. At times, he was thought to be the succession plan to Ben Roethlisberger, but that never came to fruition. When Rudolph saw the field earlier in his career, things were a bit shaky, but he turned himself into a hero at the end of the 2023 season as he led the Steelers to the playoffs. He performed well, but Pittsburgh couldn't get the job done in the Wild Card Round.

Rudolph spent one year away from the Steelers in 2024 after his heroic end to the 2023 season. He started some games for the Tennessee Titans, but he did not look great. Before his heroics in 2023, Rudolph was mainly known for just one thing, and that was his incident with Myles Garrett during a game against the Cleveland Browns in 2019. 

Garrett and Rudolph were shoving each other and the Browns defender ended up ripping off Rudolph's own helmet and hit him over the head with it. Garrett was suspended for the remainder of the 2019 season, yet the NFL went right back to propping him up and making him a poster boy, despite his on-field actions and countless speeding tickets. Rudolph recently appeared on The Justin Time Podcast, where he was asked about the incident from 2019.

"You kind of black out, and you don't, I didn't even remember that I got hit with the helmet until I watched it afterwards," Rudolph said. "Things were moving fast. It feels so long ago, and yes, people do ask me about it a lot. I understand, it's human nature, but it was an unfortunate situation. I'm just grateful to have walked away, with all my vital organs intact."

Both players involved were fined for the on-field altercation, while Garrett was suspended for the remainder of the 2019 season as mentioned. He essentially assaulted Rudolph on the field of play, which is something the league is not going to stand for.

Steelers' Mason Rudolph Had His Family Scared In The Moment

It was stunning to watch the incident unfold on live television. It started with some extracurriculars between Garrett and Rudolph after the quarterback had thrown a pass, and then all of a sudden, Rudolph was having his helmet ripped off. Pittsburgh's offensive line stepped in and clobbered Garrett almost immediately in Rudolph's defense, which was exactly what should have happened. 

Many believe that Garrett was not punished enough for the incident, as he was actually fined less than the quarterback. However, he was suspended and missed out on some game checks. 

Rudolph spoke more about the incident and what it was like watching it back.

"Yeah, I was shocked," Rudolph said. "I think when they slow-moed it towards the end of the swing, it was a little more gnarlier than I had remembered on the field. But uh, yeah, it scared my parents. Scared my mom quite a bit. Something that you hope stays far away from the game. I've talked to Myles about this, well not exactly about this, but we've put this to bed. I know that it was just one of those freak deals."

This incident from 2019 left a stain on Garrett's Hall of Fame career, and he has turned into a player that a lot of people and opposing fans have lost respect for.

What do you think about Rudolph's comments? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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