Cleveland Browns fans didn’t want to leave the stadium Thursday night after the team earned a playoff spot. Myles Garrett, Cleveland’s star defender, soaked it all in as well. But the joy was missing.
In his post-game press conference, Garrett conceded he’d played with a heavy heart. He very nearly missed the game. Back home in Texas, his family was dealing with the death of Garrett’s uncle. Chris Johnson, the brother of Myles’ mother, Audrey, died Christmas night. The Browns superstar learned of his death the morning after. Uncle and nephew had last seen each other at Thanksgiving.
Garrett missed Wednesday’s walk through. The Browns described his absence as personal. By Thursday, he conceded he felt like he was walking through fog.
“Sometimes you got to put on a little bit of a mask even though you don’t want to,” Garrett told reporters. “I’m happy for my teammates and that’s honest and true and that’ll always be how I feel. This team, it’s unlike any other. I’m always proud to be a Brown and be a part of a special organization. I know that feeling how I feel doesn’t feel right without C.J (his uncle). I know even though he’s watching it, it’s a little bit different. It’s not the same.”
Ultimately, Garrett’s mother decided whether her son would play against the Jets. The 37-20 win allowed the Browns to earn only their second playoff spot in the past two decades.
“If she needed me I’d have been gone in a second,” said Garrett, the former Texas A&M star and No. pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. “Football’s great. I love this team, love the Browns, but I only got one mom. I’m hopefully going to have many more games, many more years, but there’s only one C.J. and there’s only one mom. If she needed me, I’m always going to be there for her just like she is for me.”
Garrett said he wanted his Browns teammates and the fans to know the reason why he might’ve held back, emotionally.
“I think getting it off my chest is the best medicine,” Garrett told reporters as he acknowledged that he’s like his father. They both “bunker in” with their emotions.
Plus, he said “I also don’t want my teammates, if they saw me walking off the field, to feel like I wasn’t proud or happy of what we accomplished and achieved tonight,” the Browns star said. “It’s not indicative of how I truly feel. I love this moment and how far we’ve come and how far we plan to go.”
Thursday’s win allowed the Browns to clinch only their second playoff spot since 2002. And the Browns did so under the most unlikely of circumstances. Most notably, they’re on starting quarterback No. 4. Joe Flacco, the starter for Thursday’s game, wasn’t even with an NFL team when the season started. There’s still a chance the Browns could clinch the top seed in the AFC.
Meanwhile, Garrett is making a case for NFL defensive player of the year. He picked up his 14th sack of the season against the Jets.
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