Browns' Garrett hit with indefinite ban for helmet swing

(Reuters) – Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has been handed a record indefinite suspension for using a helmet to attack another player, the National Football League (NFL) said on Friday.

Garrett, who Cleveland took first overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, will miss the rest of the regular season and any playoff games and must meet with the commissioner’s office before a decision on his reinstatement will be taken.

Cleveland have six regular season games remaining, meaning the punishment to Garrett is the longest suspension handed out by the NFL for a single on-the-field act.

Garrett, one of the league’s standout defensive players this year, was ejected in the closing seconds of Thursday’s game in Cleveland after he ripped the helmet off Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and then struck him in the head with it.

The NFL said in a statement Garrett “violated unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules, as well as fighting, removing the helmet of an opponent and using the helmet as a weapon.”

The melee began when Garrett wrestled Rudolph to the ground well after the quarterback had thrown the ball. Rudolph grabbed at Garrett’s helmet before Garrett ripped off Rudolph’s helmet and swung it at the quarterback.

The incident led to a skirmish between both teams, who the NFL fined $250,000 each. The NFL said other players, including those that left the bench to enter the fight area, will be sanctioned in due course.

Pittsburgh’s Maurkice Pouncey, who punched and kicked at Garrett, was suspended three games while Cleveland’s Larry Ogunjobi was banned one game for pushing Rudolph to the ground from behind after his helmet was off.

The three players were all suspended without pay and fined additional amounts. They can appeal the league’s ruling within three business days.

UNACCEPTABLE ACTIONS

Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam said they were disappointed in the events that transpired during Thursday’s nationally televised game.

“There is no place for that in football and that is not reflective of the core values we strive for as an organization,” We sincerely apologize to Mason Rudolph and the Pittsburgh Steelers,” the Haslams said in a statement.

“Myles Garrett has been a good team mate and member of our organization and community for the last three years but his actions last night were completely unacceptable. We understand the consequences from the league for his actions.”

Prior to Garrett’s suspension, the stiffest ban handed down for a single on-the-field act came in 2006 when former Tennessee Titan Albert Haynesworth was suspended five games after he stomped on the face of a helmetless Dallas Cowboys player.

Following the game Rudolph’s agent, Tim Younger, weighed in on Garrett’s actions.

“There are many risks an NFL QB assumes with every snap taken on the field. Being hit on your uncovered head by a helmet being swung by a 275 lb DE is not one of them. Tonight could have had a catastrophic ending. The matter will be reviewed thoroughly,” Younger said on Twitter.

According to an ESPN report here Younger said no legal options are being ruled out. When reached by Reuters on Friday Younger said his Twitter comment is his only statement at this time.

It is not the first time Garrett has been disciplined by the league as he was fined $42,112 by the NFL in September for two hits he made on New York Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian.

After Thursday’s game, Garrett said his emotions got the better of him.

“I made a mistake, I lost my cool and I regret it,” Garrett said. “It’s gonna come back to hurt our team. The guys who jumped in the scrum, I appreciate my team having my back but it should’ve never gotten to that point. It’s on me.”