FOXBORO, Mass. — Myles Garrett’s incredibly ill-advised helmet smash to the head of Mason Rudolph was a topic of discussion during the New England Patriots’ Friday morning meeting.
Bill Belichick used the incident, which occurred during the waning moments of Thursday night’s Pittsburgh Steelers-Cleveland Browns game, to remind his players how not to act on the football field.
“Coach Belichick tries to use it as teaching moments,” quarterback Tom Brady said Friday. “He talks about not throwing punches, not touching the referees and staying on the sidelines. … It’s an emotional game.”
Brady never has thrown a punch at an opponent or swung a helmet like a hammer, but he isn’t always the picture of perfect composure on the field. The 42-year-old recalled one moment early in his career that resulted in what he believes is the only unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he’s received in his 20-year NFL career.
During a 2002 game against the Chicago Bears, Brady was flagged for shoving a Bears defender off a pile after a Kevin Faulk fumble on the final play of the third quarter.
“That’s not the leadership you’re talking about from Tom Brady,” play-by-play man Kevin Harlan said on CBS’s game broadcast.
Brady was slapped with a 15-yard penalty, but the young QB regained his poise. He led the Patriots, who trailed 27-16 at the time, to a 33-30 victory, capping the win with a touchdown pass to David Patten in the final minute.
“I think I’ve only got one penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct,” Brady said Friday. “I kind of pushed someone back against Chicago. That might be my only unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. I probably deserved a few more, but that was the only one I got called for. …
“These things, they happen so quick. It’s an emotional game. People play with emotion, and it’s a physical sport. So you try to just do the best you can do.”
That minor scuffle, of course, was nothing compared to the brouhaha that broke out Thursday night. The NFL suspended Garrett for at least the rest of this season for his actions and handed out shorter bans to Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (one game) and Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey (three games).
