CLEVELAND — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken out for the first time since he suspended Myles Garrett indefinitely for getting into a nationally-televised fight with Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph that ended with the defensive end clubbing the quarterback with his own helmet.
Goodell spoke to Gary Myers of OGT's Pre-Flight Playbook the morning after the game and said there was no place in the game for what Garrett did.
“Anything that is outside the game is problematic to us and there is no place for that in the game. It’s completely outside of football. It’s not incorrect tackling technique or anything else. It’s just completely outside the game of football," Goodell said.
Goodell suspended Garrett indefinitely, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey for three games and Browns defensive end Larry Ogunjobi for one game for their involvement in the brawl.
"It’s probably, I would say, the most significant discipline we’ve had from a single incident in our history. Although we don’t keep that stat but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t," Goodell said.
Goodell said that Garrett won't play for the rest of the season and that he will meet with him during the offseason to determine any further discipline.
"Does he have remorse? Does he understand why it’s not acceptable? Does he understand what he’s gonna do to make sure it doesn’t happen again? Those are the things that are going to be very important for us because my experience with discipline is with players and other personnel is if they get it. If they understand that they made a mistake and they accept that and they say I’m committed to changing, you’re usually on a good path. The ones that don’t are the ones that are saying there is nothing wrong with what I did. I don’t know whether he does or whether he doesn’t but we will find out," Goodell said.
Garrett will make his case to the NFL to have his indefinite suspension reduced on Wednesday, but based on what Goodell said on Friday, it doesn't look like that will happen.
To listen to Goodell's full interview, click here.
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