Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett has been fined $25,000 by the NFL for criticizing the officiating following his team’s Week 14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Garrett’s comments came as a result of his frustrations with the lack of offensive holding calls on the Jaguars.
“The officiating was a travesty today,” Garrett said after the game. “It was honestly awful. And the fact that they’re letting them get away with hands to the face, holding, false starting — I know they called a couple, but damn, they could have called it all game. And [there was] the one that cost us down on the 2-yard line.”
Garrett logged just one tackle without a sack against Jacksonville.
“I mean, respect to those guys, it’s a hard job, but hell, we have a hard job as well,” he added. “You can’t make it harder by throwing holding and hands to the face out the rulebook. And like I said, I got a lot of respect for those guys, but we get scrutinized for the plays that we don’t make. So someone has to hold them accountable for the plays or the calls they don’t make. And they need to be under the same kind of microscope as we are every single play.”
The 27-year-old has been in a bit of a slump as of late, as he has failed to register in a sack in each of his last three games.
On the season overall, Garrett has racked up 33 tackles, 13 sacks, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three passes defended.
Garrett, who played his collegiate football at Texas A&M, was selected by the Browns with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
He has established himself as one of the league’s best pass rushers, making four trips to the Pro Bowl and also earning a First-Team All-Pro selection.
Myles Garrett posted 16 sacks in both 2021 and 2022.
Cleveland is 8-5 and will take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
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