'I Took Offense To It,' Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Defends QB Mason Rudolph During Myles Garrett Situation
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin is going to great lengths to defend his quarterback from racist allegations.
Tomlin appeared on ESPN's First Take with Stephen A. Smith Monday Morning to give his take on the Myles Garrett Situation.
"I took offense to it to be quite honest with you," Tomlin said. " 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 and the National Football League office. Then, we had to move on, we had another game awaiting us. But when these allegations returned this past weekend, I thought it was appropriate that Mason is properly defended."
"Tomlin: These accusations are serious. Not only in terms of Mason Rudolph's character, but his professional pursuits. Nobody on that field corroborated what Myles Garrett said."
Tomlin ripped ESPN for the interview last week with Myles Garrett, saying that it did not properly give both sides of the situation.
Garrett tripled-down on an interview with ESPN last week, saying that the Steelers quarterback called him a racial slur.
"I was on the field immediately after that altercation," Tomlin said. "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 at that nature that you would expect that comes with those types of allegations."
"Mike Tomlin: I fully support Mason Rudolph. We, as an organization, fully support Mason Rudolph."
"To be quite honest with you, we were hacked off at what we saw this weekend. Not specifically for Myles Garrett, he's been in the lane that he is in, but what was displayed by ESPN in that panel, the way that the situation was presented, I don't think was fair to Mason Rudolph, and that is why I am here today."
Rudolph's attorneys are currently threatening legal action for defamation after initially saying he would not.
"Tomlin on his reaction to Myles Garrett's latest accusation on First Take: "I took offense to it to be quite honest with you."
"Tomlin: "It's been a lot of negativity around Mason Rudolph. He got fined $50k for essentially getting beat up. His reputation was tarnished for the allegations ...he was an active participant in the altercation, a lot of the things that have gone on beyond that, I struggle with"
