At 11:39 p.m. on Thursday, at 100 Alfred Lerner Way, with some 67,000 witnesses surrounding him and millions more watching on TV, a 23-year-old Cleveland man ripped off a visitor’s helmet and used it to bash that visitor’s head. He did not seriously injure the victim. He did ignite a brawl. He left a community somewhere between ashamed, angry and aghast. Because of his violent outburst – and because it occurred on an NFL field – Browns defensive end Myles Garrett will surely be suspended.
But had it occurred on a downtown Cleveland street, or in a back alley, or at a dingy sports bar, Garrett would be facing much worse.