As news broke Thursday that Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was accusing Mason Rudolph of using a racial slur to appeal his indefinite suspension stemming from Thursday night fight, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback sought out team captain Cam Heyward.
Heyward says Rudolph was emphatic that he did not use a racial slur.
"He was pretty distraught and said, 'I did not say that,'" the defensive lineman said. "I think we knew that using that as an excuse is not right."
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Thursday that the league looked into Garrett's allegations that Rudolph used a racial slur "and found no such evidence.