Getty Images
Quarterback Mason Rudolph starts Sunday for the Steelers, meaning Browns defensive end Myles Garrett will perform throughout the game across from him.
Garrett was suspended last year for swinging Rudolph’s helmet at the quarterfinals in Cleveland’s Week 11 win over Pittsburgh. Head coaches Kevin Stefanski and Mike Tomlin both said the teams moved away from the incident, and now so did Rudolph.
‘This game is too big to worry about anything from the outside that happened years ago, ”Rudolph told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on Friday.
Rudolph explained that he was not worried about the incident. Garrett accuses Rudolph of using a racial uproar as a catalyst for helmet swinging, which Rudolph vehemently denied.
‘He did not reach out to me in any capacity, but I have a lot of respect for Myles, ”Rudolph said via Kimberley A. Martin of ESPN.
Rudolph added that he was willing to hear Garrett if he wanted to speak the defensive end, but otherwise only worried about how Garrett would affect the game.
“He is a threat in the backfield. He is very disruptive, ”Rudolph said. “Of course we are very aware of that and treat him with respect.”
The Browns will clinch a playoff game on Sunday with a win over the Steelers. Rudolph did play seven snaps in Pittsburgh’s Week 6 win over Cleveland, so it will not be the first time he has been behind center since the incident. But we’ll see if everyone can control their emotions in one of the Browns’ biggest games since returning to the league in 1999.