Myles Garrett’s trade to the Los Angeles Rams closes one long chapter in the AFC North, but for Pittsburgh Steelers fans, his Browns tenure will forever be remembered for one night in Cleveland.
Garrett was one of the best pass rushers in football during his time with the Browns and also one of the most hated opponents on Pittsburgh’s schedule. It goes beyond sacks, pressures, or the division-rival bad blood.
Garrett’s most infamous moment came on Nov. 14, 2019, in the final seconds of a Thursday Night Football game between the Browns and Steelers.
Cleveland was finishing off a 21-7 win when Garrett took Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph to the ground after Rudolph had thrown a short pass to Trey Edmunds on third-and-long. What followed quickly became one of the ugliest scenes in modern NFL history.
Rudolph and Garrett tangled on the ground as words were exchanged. Rudolph appeared to grab at Garrett’s helmet while the two were locked up. As Rudolph got back to his feet, Garrett ripped the quarterback’s helmet off.
the full Myles Garrett/Mason Rudolph helmet swing right here... pic.twitter.com/Gr3eE1HkWd
— Flea Flicker Football (@fleaflickerr) June 1, 2026
That alone would have been enough to start a melee, but then Garrett swung the helmet and struck Rudolph’s unprotected head while Steelers offensive lineman David DeCastro was trying to push Garrett away.
The moment instantly overshadowed the game. Maurkice Pouncey jumped into the pile in defense of Rudolph. Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi shoved Rudolph from behind after the helmet swing. Players from both teams rushed in, turning the final seconds of a lopsided Browns win into a full-scale brawl.
"… It’s bush league, and it’s a total coward move on his part,” Rudolph told the media during a press conference.
Myles Garrett’s Pittsburgh Steelers brawl led to massive NFL discipline
The NFL responded with some of the most sweeping discipline it has ever handed down after an on-field fight. Garrett was suspended indefinitely and missed the rest of the 2019 season and the playoffs. Pouncey was initially suspended for three games, reduced to two on appeal. Ogunjobi, who later played three seasons in Pittsburgh, was suspended for one game.
The punishment didn’t stop there. A total of 33 players were either suspended or fined. Rudolph was fined $50,000 for his role in the scuffle. Garrett received an additional fine of $45,623. Pouncey was fined $35,096, while 29 other players were fined $3,507 each for entering the fight area.
Both franchises were also fined $250,000.
The brawl became bigger than football almost immediately. Social media turned the helmet swing into memes, reaction videos, and endless rivalry jokes. For Steelers Nation, it became a defining image of Garrett’s Cleveland career. For Browns fans, it became an uncomfortable low point attached to one of the best players their franchise has ever had.
The situation got even more heated during Garrett’s appeal hearing, when he claimed Rudolph had used a racial slur toward him before the fight. Rudolph denied the accusation, and he was backed by teammates and then-Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
After reviewing available stadium audio and interviewing players who were on the field, the NFL said it found “no such evidence” that a slur was used.
Fast forward six years, and both teams have changed plenty. Garrett is now with the Rams, and Rudolph is a backup in Pittsburgh (for now, at least).
Garrett’s time in Cleveland is over, but Steelers fans will always remember him for that night. He was a dominant player, a constant thorn in Pittsburgh’s side, and the center of one of the ugliest moments in the rivalry’s history.
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