'SNL' taps Steelers-Browns helmet controversy

For Pittsburgh Steelers fans, there was nothing funny about Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett smashing quarterback Mason Rudolph on the head with a helmet at the end of Thursday night’s game.

But NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” attempted to mine a few laughs from it.

Well, “attempted” anyway.

The cold opening of Saturday’s episode spoofed coverage of the impeachment hearings in Washington — setting it as a soap opera called “Days of Our Impeachment.” It had the usual suspects — Alex Moffat as Rep. Adam Schiff, Kate McKinnon as Rudy Giuliani, Mikey Day as Rep. Jim Jordan, Melissa Villaseñor as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cecily Strong playing Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

About six and a half minutes into the sketch, Kenan Thompson appeared, donned in Browns attire and armed with a Steelers helmet, playing Garrett.

Or, as Strong’s character put it: “The guy who hit the other guy with the helmet.”

As Garrett, Thompson declared, “I’ve had enough. I’m tired of being falsely accused.

“You see, what had happened was I saw another player who had lost his helmet somehow, and I thought, ‘Oh, he should be wearing a helmet.’ So I attempted to put it back on his head.”

When informed that he was not on trial, Thompson’s Garrett said, “Oh, I know. President Trump just pardoned me, too, for the war crimes. He said I could bring a helmet to Afghanistan and just go nuts.”

It’s not Thompson’s first time playing a Steeler. Back in 2009, he played a seriously winded James Harrison (in a much happier time for fans).

Certainly, there was nothing funny in the reality of this past weekend’s situation. In real life, Garrett was suspended indefinitely from the NFL.

Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, who rushed to Rudolph’s defense and punched Garrett and kicked him in the head, was suspended for three games. Browns defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi was suspended one game for shoving Rudolph to the ground during the melee.