Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph adamantly denies he used a racial slur toward Browns defensive end Myles Garrett before Garrett ripped off his helmet and bashed him over the head with it.

“It’s totally untrue. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe he would go that route after the fact,” Rudolph said after today’s game.

Asked if Rudolph could have said anything that Garrett interpreted as a racial slur, Rudolph said, “Absolutely not. There was nothing. Not even close.”

Garrett has been suspended for the rest of this season for his actions, while Rudolph was fined $50,000 for his own role in the brawl. The NFL investigated Garrett’s claim that Rudolph used a racial slur and could find no evidence of it.

Rudolph was benched today against the Bengals and it’s unclear whether he’ll play next week when the Steelers and Browns meet again.