Mike Tomlin rips ESPN (while on ESPN) for its Mason Rudolph coverage
Myles Garrett was officially reinstated by the NFL last week after serving what ended up being a six-game suspension for hitting Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph on the head with his own helmet.
In his first interview since reinstatement, Garrett told ESPN that Rudolph called him the N-word, which prompted the Browns star to react as he did during the brawl. Rudolph denied that allegation on Twitter, calling it a “bold-faced lie.” And on Monday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin appeared on ESPN’s First Take to defend his quarterback.
He also blasted ESPN for the network’s coverage of Garrett’s allegation against Rudolph … again, all while on ESPN.
Tomlin said, raising issue with how ESPN’s Outside The Lines piece didn’t acknowledge that there was an investigation of Garrett’s initial accusations (though the network actually did mention it):
“The most recent one this past weekend, I took offense to it, to be quite honest with you. When it first transpired during the season, we don’t have a lot of time to pause and fight battles of that nature. We said our piece. We were completely cooperative with all parties involved: the Cleveland Browns organization and the National Football League office. And then we had to move on. We had another game awaiting us, and we wanted to be singularly focused. But when these allegations returned this past weekend, I thought it was appropriate that Mason is properly defended. It was a thorough investigation done by us and the National Football League. I don’t think that was represented during that (ESPN) piece.
“These accusations are serious — not only in terms of Mason Rudolph’s character but his professional pursuits. Nobody on that field as a member of the Cleveland Browns or Pittsburgh Steelers corroborated what was said by Myles Garrett. That was founded by us and the National Football League. And at no point during that piece this weekend that was stated. Myself personally, I was on the field immediately after that altercation and subsequently after the game. I got a lot of personal relationships within that organization over there in Cleveland. At no point did anyone within that organization come forward and say, ‘Mike, heads up. We got a situation here.’ Or something of that nature that you would expect that comes with those type of allegations.
“So I fully support Mason Rudolph. We as an organization fully support Mason Rudolph. And to be quite honest with you, we were a little hacked off by what we saw this weekend. Not specifically from Myles Garrett — he’s been in the lane that he’s in. By what was displayed by ESPN and that panel the way that the situation was presented I don’t think was fair to Mason Rudolph. And that’s why I’m here today.”
In the aftermath of Garrett’s allegations about Rudolph using a racial slur, the league launched an investigation and didn’t come up with any corroborating evidence.