Cowboys defensive end Robert Quinn worries that the handwringing about the brawl at the end of Thursday night’s Steelers-Browns game reflects a sport that’s changing for the worse.
Quinn said he didn’t condone Browns defensive end Myles Garrett hitting Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with his own helmet, but he does think the heavy punishment for Garrett, as well as the suspensions for Maurkice Pouncey and Larry Ogunjobi, reflects a league that’s changing in a way Quinn doesn’t favor.
“You got to play full speed, they going to throw the flag,” Quinn said, via the Dallas Morning News. “They going to throw the flag. They make so many rules changes, who knows what they’re going to call nowadays? So you just play and hope it doesn’t get to that point. Take it back to 1960 there was only two rules: score and stop them from scoring. Man up. But nowadays you can’t do that. Charmin, in a sense.”
Quinn clarified: “Charmin. Soft. Tissue,” he said.
Quinn also felt that Rudolph deserved more blame for his role in the incident than he has received. Like a lot of defensive players, Quinn seems to see a league that’s protecting quarterbacks, to the detriment of the sport.