Steelers lineman David DeCastro praised as peacemaker for his role in 'Thursday Night Football' brawl, including from Myles Garrett
- Thursday night's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns ended in a brutal brawl when Myles Garrett struck Mason Rudolph with his helmet.
- During the fight, Steelers lineman David DeCastro got between Garrett and Rudolph, taking Garrett to the ground after he swung at the quarterback.
- After the game, DeCastro received praise from viewers and even Garrett himself for helping to diffuse the situation.
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Thursday night's game between the Browns and Steelers was marred by a brawl between Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph.
The fight broke out in the final seconds of the game, with the Browns holding a 21-7 lead and the Steelers down to their final plays before time expired. Garrett had brought Rudolph down on the play, and after a physical exchange, ripped off his helmet and swung it at the Pittsburgh quarterback.
Garrett was quickly called out for his action, with quarterback Baker Mayfield calling his teammate's participation in the brawl "inexcusable."
But while Garrett was called out, players, coaches, and commentators have all praised Steelers lineman David DeCastro, who during the mayhem, did his best to diffuse the situation by bringing Garrett to the ground and keeping him away from angry Steelers teammates.
In the video above, DeCastro can be seen attempting to get between Garrett and Rudolph before the helmet is swung. After Garrett goes for the knockout, DeCastro wrapped him up and took him to the ground. While center Maurkice Pouncey can be seen throwing punches at Garrett, DeCastro was pretty clearly trying to quell the situation from getting any further out of hand.
On Twitter, DeCastro was praised for his role of peacemaker during the chaotic moment.
Even Garrett gave credit to DeCastro for helping to deescalate the situation on the field.
Asked about how his Browns teammates responded to the fight, Garrett thanked them for having his back before pivoting to DeCastro.
"Even DeCastro on the other team, he was trying to keep everybody off me," Garrett said, per ESPN's Jake Trotter. "He understood the gravity of the situation, and he didn't want any more blows to be thrown, and he knew it was just two guys getting chippy. He and I made a mistake, but I appreciate him coming up to me and Larry coming up to me and having my back in the whole situation."
On Friday, the NFL announced that Garrett was suspended without pay indefinitely - a punishment that will last at least through the 2019 season and postseason. Pouncey also received a three-game suspension for his role in the fight. DeCastro did not receive a suspension.
The two teams will meet for a rematch in Cleveland in just two weeks.
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