The enigma that is Myles Garrett never ceases to amaze. Part Pro Bowl defensive end for the Cleveland Browns, part budding paleontologist, part freakish athletic specimen, part spearhead of a campaign to bring water to impoverished areas, part freeform poet, there’s a lot more going on with Myles Garrett than meets the eye.
In his thoughtful interview with Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, Garrett revealed once again he’s not the stereotypical meathead football player. Garrett talked to Cabot about perhaps becoming a writing coach or playing basketball if he were no longer able to play football. That was nearly a reality after his infamous incident in Pittsburgh on national television, one that cost him the final six games of 2019 but also so much more in terms of damage to his reputation.
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There’s a quote from the interview that stands out, one that displays Garrett’s deep-rooted mindset in being more than just No. 95 for the Cleveland Browns,
I had the opportunity to show that my life and what I’ve been through is bigger than the game of football. I’ve been raised with too many values, too many great role models and peers who have showed me the way to have just lost my way with one incident and it won’t define me.
That’s why there should be confidence that Garrett won’t have anything like that happen on the field ever again. How could a guy who devotes so much time to helping people who cannot help themselves do something like that?
Garrett spent a lot of time this offseason devoting himself to The Waterboys, a charity foundation established by NFL defensive end Chris Long. Garrett is the Waterboys captain and he’s putting his money where his mouth is for the charity.
Pledging $5,000 per sack is a great gesture from Garrett, one that could wind up costing him close to $100,000 if he gets back to being the dominant force he was for the Browns in 2019.
Some fans won’t like that Garrett is a thinker, that he has a life outside of football. Folks who want more of the head-bashing are going to be disappointed in Garrett. He seems just fine with that.