Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday there's no lesson for his team to learn from its ugly brawl with the Browns on Thursday night.
"Nothing to learn there," Tomlin said during a news conference.
Later, a reporter asked Tomlin if there is anything NFL coaches can do to prevent such fights in the future.
"I don't know," Tomlin replied. "You've got to ask those guys (with the Browns). I don't know that we did anything to make it happen anyway in the first place. That's why I said we didn't have anything to learn from it."
So Tomlin clearly argued the Steelers didn't start the melee, which unfolded with eight seconds left in the Browns' 21-7 victory at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Browns defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson presented the obvious counterargument Monday when he stated defensive end Myles Garrett ripped off the helmet of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and swung it onto Rudolph's head after Rudolph had antagonized Garrett by trying to yank the defender's helmet off. Rudolph also pushed his right foot into Garrett's groin while the QB was on the ground and later rose to his feet and went after Garrett, who responded with the helmet strike.
"The helmet was overboard," Richardson said. "Let's get that clear. It's overboard. It was. But defending himself? I don't blame (Garrett) for defending himself.
"He was defending himself. If a guy's scratching at your face, what are you going to do? If that's your child, what would you do?"
In Tomlin's opening statement Tuesday, he said the fight was an "ugly" moment for the sport.
"All of us want to safeguard and protect the game, it's integrity, and in that instance, it was compromised, obviously with the unfortunate incident," Tomlin said. "None of us want those things to transpire. It did. We were a part of it. We accept responsibility for our actions within it."
The NFL suspended Garrett without pay for at least the rest of the 2019 season _ the remaining six regular-season games and playoffs.
The league suspended Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey without pay for three games for punching and kicking Garrett after the helmet swing.
The NFL suspended Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi without pay for one game for running into a helmet-less Rudolph and shoving him to the ground.
Ogunjobi's appeal was heard Monday. Pouncey's appeal hearing was scheduled for Tuesday and Garrett's for Wednesday. All three of them will be fined by the NFL.
Rudolph will be fined but not suspended.
And the Browns and Steelers will meet again Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh.
