First Call: Mason Rudolph responds to Mike Tomlin’s interview, ex-Browns GM backs Myles Garrett, Andrew McCutchen update
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In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Mason Rudolph responds to Mike Tomlin’s support. Myles Garrett’s corner is rallying, too. And Andrew McCutchen is trying to make a comeback in Philadelphia.
Thanks, Coach
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin publicly supported quarterback Mason Rudolph Monday.
He vehemently refuted Myles Garrett’s reiterated claim that Rudolph used a racial slur before Garrett hit Rudolph in the head with his own helmet.
Tomlin did so on ESPN’s “First Take,” while trashing ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” program for its one-sided representation of how the brawl transpired and whether Rudolph really used the “n-word” as Garrett claimed.
If Rudolph eventually goes down for lying, his coach will have to go down with him. Because Tomlin threw his backing and conviction 100% behind his second-year signal caller.
“I fully support Mason Rudolph,” Tomlin told the network. “We, as an organization, fully support Mason Rudolph. To be quite honest with you, we were hacked off by what we saw this weekend (on “Outside the Lines”).”
Tomlin added, “I think [Rudolph’s] reputation needs to be defended and defended aggressively.”
The support was not lost on Rudolph.
Leader of Men https://t.co/ISSluAWepy
— Mason Rudolph (@Rudolph2Mason) February 17, 2020
Rudolph’s attorney, Tim Younger, has intimated that his client may consider legal action for defamation or some other similar charge.
Their side of the story
Meanwhile, former Browns General Manager John Dorsey is standing firmly behind Garrett.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Dorsey had a text message exchange with the paper reasserting his claim “that Garrett informed him of the racial slur accusation right away.”
Via the Akron Beacon Journal, “Dorsey’s assertion is consistent with a prepared statement he released Nov. 21 in which he said Garrett ‘was open and honest with us about the incident from the start.’”
That’s counter to the public timeline which yielded no mention of a racial slur between the game on Nov. 14 and Garrett’s NFL discipline hearing on Nov. 20.
Former coach Freddie Kitchens did not respond to an inquiry from the paper.
According to writer Nate Ulrich, “Garrett contends he told former Browns General Manager Dorsey, coaches and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi on the heels of the incident that Rudolph had uttered a racial slur.”
On Dec. 1, Ogunjobi went on record, saying that Garrett confided in him about the alleged slur right away.
If you believe not a single person offered that as a defense of Garrett between postgame comments and Garrett’s hearing, while most of his own team and the national media were burying Garrett, well….
…. then I guess you believe Garrett, too. Good for you.
Now I’ve got some oceanfront property in Cleveland I want to sell you.
Lookout!
Because there appears to be so much animosity toward the Houston Astros for the sign-stealing controversy, there is a level of concern that a lot of teams will throw at Dusty Baker’s hitters.
So much so, that Baker is preemptively looking for protection from the league.
Based on the gambling numbers, the oddsmakers don’t think he is going to get it.
On Monday, sportsbook William Hill set the over/under on total Houston batters to get hit by a pitch at 83.5.
For some context, the Astros were only hit 66 times last year. That was exactly the league average. The Mets led the league with 95 HBPs a year ago. A total of 84 would’ve been good for fourth place in Major League Baseball.
So that would be a heck of an increase. But not the top of the pack.
Hit the deck, boys!
Checking in on ‘Cutch
Here’s the latest on former Pirates great Andrew McCutchen.
The former Buccos center fielder is in Philadelphia with the Phillies. He is still recovering from a torn ACL last season. But he is optimistic for 2020.
“The plan for me is to be ready,” McCutchen told the Philadelphia Inquirer Monday morning. “I’m doing everything I have to do to get ready.”
In fact, he is defiant about it.
“There’s no ‘hope’ in my mind. There’s a ‘know.’ I know what I can do,” McCutchen continued. “I know what I’m going to do, and I know what I am doing. That’s the end of it. That’s why I’m going out. I’m not just running just to try and run. I’m running because I know I can run, and I’m going to run as hard as I can.”
McCutchen played in 59 games last year before tearing his knee on a fluke rundown.
Andrew McCutchen leaves game with knee injury ??♂️ pic.twitter.com/9J0EAlhqIZ
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) June 4, 2019
McCutchen hit .256 with 10 home runs and an .834 OPS prior to his injury.
Say it ain’t so, Joe!
There has been a great deal of stress in Cincinnati over Joe Burrow’s desire to be a Bengal.
The presumptive first draft pick out of LSU has come off… hmmm… less than enthused at the prospect of playing in southern Ohio.
During a recent interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Burrow did little to assuage those concerns.
“If they select me, they select me,” Burrow told Mac Engel. “I’m going to do everything in my power to be the best football player I can be.”
Wow. Oozing with enthusiasm. Engel informed Burrow that answer could leave a lot of room for interpretation.
It appears Burrow didn’t mind the idea of leaving room for more.
“We have the Combine. We have pro days,” he said. “There is a long time ‘til the draft. There is a lot of information in a lot of different places. A lot of people saying a lot of things. I’m just focused on training right now.”
“Who Dey,” indeed.