Myles Garrett did not seem immediately to grasp exactly how bad his actions were Thursday night.
No one was talking about the Browns’ victory but about the team’s star defensive player swinging Mason Rudolph’s helmet at the quarterback’s head.
“A win’s a win. I don’t think it’s overshadowed by what happened in eight seconds,” Garrett told reporters in the locker room.
Garrett refused to talk about what set him off. Replays showed that Rudolph tried to rip off Garrett’s helmet before trying to kick him.
Nothing Rudolph did or said, though, would have excused Garrett’s reaction.
Officials ejected Garrett; the NFL will suspend him, perhaps for the rest of the season; and his reputation is forever gone.
Garrett will wear a scarlet letter as a dirty player the rest of his career.
The former No. 1 overall pick didn’t seem to understand the severity of his actions.
“I made a mistake; I lost my cool,” Garrett said. “It’s going to come back to hurt our team. The guys who jumped in the scrum, I appreciate my teammates having my back, but it shouldn’t have gotten that far. That’s on me.”
Garrett said “no clue” when asked how long he expected to be suspended. Here’s a guess: Longer than he expects.