Mark Madden: Myles Garrett is lying about Steelers QB Mason Rudolph

Myles Garrett is lying.

But very few will say that, at least not directly.

As a result, Garrett’s lie is, by default, becoming the truth. Entire sports-talk TV segments are built around “what if.” As in, “what if Mason Rudolph did call Myles Garrett the n-word?”

As George Costanza said, “It’s not a lie if you believe it.” At this point, Garrett may believe his own fiction.

Garrett now specializes in double-talk. He wants to “move past it,” yet keeps bringing it up. He doesn’t “want to make it a racial thing,” yet keeps doing exactly that. He implies the NFL is suppressing audio that proves him right.

Rudolph’s attorney is threatening legal action against Garrett. (Rudolph punctuated that possibility by calling Garrett’s most recent statement “a bold-faced lie” and “a disgusting and reckless attempt to assassinate my character.”)

The NFL reiterated its investigation absolved Rudolph.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin released a statement that supports Rudolph and, for all intents and purposes, calls Garrett a liar. Tomlin followed that up Monday with an appearance on ESPN that aggressively defended Rudolph and excoriated ESPN for positioning Garrett’s accusation as true.

But, again, the l-word wasn’t used.

It should be. Garrett is a liar.

Neither Garrett nor his Cleveland teammates brought up the accusation immediately after the game. No audio or video picked up Rudolph saying anything untoward. Referees and other players were in close proximity, many black. None heard anything. Did Rudolph whisper the n-word into Garrett’s ear at close range?

Why did Garrett apologize to Rudolph the day after Garrett swung the helmet? Would a black man ever apologize to a white man that called him the n-word?

Not even the smallest scrap of evidence points to Garrett telling the truth.

Garrett was likely coached by a tweet from ESPN’s Josina Anderson, who said, “I will bet Myles Garrett will say he heard Mason Rudolph call him something egregious. Never seen him act like that, ever.”

Yeah, except Week 1 when he punched Tennessee tight end Delanie Walker after the whistle and Week 2 when he ended the season of New York Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian with a late hit. Garrett was fined over $50K for those two incidents.

Anderson was not alone in her unfounded accusation.

It wasn’t long before it became Garrett’s unfounded accusation.

It wasn’t long after that it became an accepted semi-truth.

That’s because no one will flat-out call Garrett a liar. You’re not allowed to.

Rudolph is in a tough spot. Garrett put his allegation back in the news cycle. Here’s betting he does so again.

Here’s what we should be saying: Garrett is a person of low character, as demonstrated by his actions on the field in more than one instance. Garrett’s actions trump what’s said about him by those invested in him.

There’s no acceptable excuse for Garrett swinging a helmet at Rudolph’s head. (That actually is being said, but with the “what if” disclaimer.)

Garrett’s claim is a pitiful attempt to salvage his own reputation via a story he knows much of America wants to believe. (Mostly the same people who blamed Antonio Brown’s lunacy on Ben Roethlisberger.)

Garrett is a liar.

That’s what should be said. I intend to say it every chance I get.