"I don't believe what I just saw."- Jack Buck
Professional sports have been a vital part of my life since I could walk. While kids dressed up as Spiderman and children show characters, I dressed up as Drew Bledsoe for Halloween. Watching my favorite players on Boston's professional sports organizations became more routine than brushing my teeth. I have seen some incredible moments.
I have witnessed Pedro toss an elderly Don Zimmer to the ground. My eyes were glued to the television seeing Ron Artest punch a fan during the Malice at the Palace. However in my twenty three years of walking God's green Earth, I have never seen what America saw last night on Thursday Night Football.
If you missed it, don't worry! You can see it here:
I have watched this clip over a hundred times. That is not an exaggeration. Each time I watch it, I flinch with fear. Myles Garrett clubbed Mason Rudolph with his own helmet. Are you kidding me?
With eight seconds remaining in this dumpster fire of a Thursday Night Football game, Mason Rudolph hit an open receiver for a solid gain, but found himself fighting for his life well after the play was blown dead. Rudolph and Garrett began to throw hands at each other with Rudolph attempting to rip Garrett's helmet off his face. A switch has been turned on. Garrett morphs into a wild animal and pounce on his prey. Garrett successfully rips Rudolph's helmet off. It gets worse. Garrett smashes it over Rudolph's head like a hammer to a nail. Disgusting. Vile. David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey spring into action defending their quarterback. A battle begins to ensue.
My eyes remained glued to my laptop for the next half an hour after the game ended. What just happened? Did WWE attempt to take over NFL on Fox? Insanity. I took to Twitter. Tweets flooded timelines expressing outrage. NFL players shared their opinions. From reigning MVP Pat Mahomes, J.J Watt and even Reggie Bush. All with the same thought, disbelief. How could someone do this?
The Browns won the game. It is the one fact everyone will forget about this game. They will not remember the final score, but the final play. Media storms the field to interview players and coaches. Erin Andrews snags Baker Mayfield for what should have been an electric interview from Baker Baker the Win Maker. Except, the only thing anyone in America cared about was the actions on the last play. Baker has been known to be controversial in interviews. In this post game interview, he switched the script.
Baker became the Browns leader. He dove into the situation at hand head first. He did not defend his teammate, but spoke the truth. He said he would be suspended and described how it negatively affects the team moving forward to the rest of the season. He owned up to Garrett's actions. He knows the difficulty that lies ahead. The Browns defensive MVP just cost himself the rest of the season and maybe even his career.
We heard from Baker. We need to hear from Freddie. Kitchens mimicked Mayfield and faced the media head on. He called out his defensive lineman saying that his actions do not belong on the football field. It is unsportsmanlike and detrimental to the growth of the game. A reporter asked Kitchens if this is what he meant by playing competitive. Kitchens quickly dismissed that thought by saying that what is done between whistles qualifies for a competitive nature. After the whistle shenanigans does not benefit the team or the player. It is an act of violence that does not belong in the game of football. Well done, Freddie.
The NFL took over on Friday morning. They discussed and planned how they would punish the individuals involved. After deciding the players' fates, they relayed their decision to the media.
Town Crier Schefter has spoken. Ogunjobi gets one game for attacking the already brain dead Rudolph following Garrett's mauling. Pouncey will sit out three games for defending his quarterback's honor. Myles Garrett receives the worst punishment of all, indefinitely with a minor of remainder of the season and playoffs. Wow.
Myles Garrett may never see an NFL field again. That was one of the worst acts of violence I have ever witnessed in professional sports. As a fan, you crave to see the big hits. This was not a big hit. This was attempted murder. I do not know what was said in the scuffle on the ground between the two, but it could not have been that serious for Garrett to want to do that to Rudolph. Garrett should not play another game for a long time. His actions are digested by kids playing the game and looking up to stars like Garrett in order for the game to grow. I cannot wait to see what comes of this and even more interested in how the 30 for 30 will be too. We will be talking about this for years to come, starting with transforming it into a meme we send to our friends daily.