Resolution is meant to create conclusion. For MLB and the NFL, nothing currently could be further from a finish.
Commissioner Rob Manfred levied punishment against the Houston Astros for their part in the cheating scandal. All it has done is opened floodgates as to whether the penalty fit the crimes and how deplorable the acts by the 2017 World Series Champions truly are.
Instead of coming to a halt, players from around both leagues weighed in with caustic opinions about the acts.
The NFL, meanwhile, reinstated Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett during the week after his indefinite suspension for swinging a helmet at Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph during a game in November.
Instead of moving on, Garrett came out swinging. He accused Rudolph of calling him the “N-word” and said it did not excuse what he did in any way but it was what provoked him.
“He called me the N-word,” Garrett told ESPN’s Mina Kimes. “He called me a ‘stupid N-word.'”
Myles Garrett sat down with @minakimes to discuss the Week 11 incident that led to his suspension.
He again alleged Mason Rudolph of using a racial slur prior to the brawl. pic.twitter.com/8FUKDbKIg4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 14, 2020
“I don’t say the N-word, whether it’s with ‘a’ [or] ‘er.’ To me, personally, [it] just shouldn’t be said, whether it’s by family, friends, anyone,” Garrett told Kimes. “I don’t want to use it because I don’t want [people to] find that appropriate around me for anyone to use.
“When he said it, it kind of sparked something, but I still tried to let it go and still walk away. But once he came back, it kind of reignited the situation. And not only have you escalated things past what they needed to be with such little time in the game left, now you’re trying to reengage and start a fight again. It’s definitely not entirely his fault; it’s definitely both parties doing something that we shouldn’t have been doing.”
Rudolph fired back on Twitter Saturday:
1000% False.
Bold-Faced Lie.
I did not, have not, and would not utter a racial-slur.
This is a disgusting and reckless attempt to assassinate my character. https://t.co/mZcEcC0tCl
— Mason Rudolph (@Rudolph2Mason) February 15, 2020
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin backed his quarterback in a statement.
“I support Mason Rudolph not only because I know him, but also because I was on that field immediately following the altercation with Myles Garrett, and subsequently after the game. I interacted with a lot of people in the Cleveland Browns organization — players and coaches,” Tomlin said in the statement.
“If Mason said what Myles claimed, it would have come out during the many interactions I had with those in the Browns’ organization. In my conversations, I had a lot of expressions of sorrow for what transpired. I received no indication of anything racial or anything of that nature in those interactions.”
Now, possible legal action is back in play, according to Rudolph’s agent, Tim Younger, saying the statements could be “defamatory.”
“We waited to hear the entire interview,” Younger said. “Garrett, after originally apologizing to Mason Rudolph, has made the ill-advised choice of publishing the belated and false accusation that Mr. Rudolph uttered a racial slur on the night in question.”
Someone isn’t telling the truth. There is no way around it. Either Garrett or Rudolph is lying. Instead of having a resolution, the NFL is faced with a conflict that has mushroomed and shows no signs of cooling.