For the Browns and their fans, Thursday night became a celebration. For defensive end Myles Garrett, the joy of clinching a playoff spot was muted by the passing of his uncle earlier this week.
Garrett raised the issue during his post-game press conference, first by mentioning that there’s “a lot on my mind” and that he’s “been dealing with some things that really haven’t been able to sit down and contemplate or like almost even accept.” When asked if he’s been dealing with football issues, he explained the source of his struggles.
“Lost a loved one,” Garrett said. “Lost him on Christmas night. I heard the next day and I just haven’t really known how to deal with it. I just talked to my sibling, my mother, making sure that she was okay. It was her brother. And just dealing with how it’s been affecting me physically and emotionally. I’m not one to really wear it on my face too often, but it’s taking its toll in different ways and just keeping my head to the sky and trying to stay focused. I know that’s what he’d want me to do and that’s what my mother wants me to do.”
Garrett said he was willing to miss last night’s game, if his mother had asked him to come home.
“I kind of left it up to my mother and if she needed me, I’d have been gone in a second,” Garrett said. “And football is great. I love this team, I love the Browns, but I only got one mom. I’m hopefully going to have many more games, many more years, but there was only one CJ, 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 that, during the game, he “felt a little bit of lack of focus, like I was in a fog.” He said he tried to stay focused on the task at hand, “but it was just difficult.”
“I’m not going to make excuses for anything that I did or not playing up to my standard or our standard, but just got to overcome,” Garrett said. “That’s what this year has been about, overcoming adversity and resilience, and everyone’s facing it in their own way. And now I’ve got to be able to do it on my own, just as well as many others have.”
Garrett realizes that he’s wired to power through situations like this. He also understands that, at some point, it’s not enough to go it alone.
“Maturing is knowing not only that you need help, but when to ask for it,” Garrett said. “And I’m not prideful enough to say I don’t need help or I don’t need someone to lean on at times, my family that I’ve leaned on. But some people around here have also reached out a helping hand, you know someone to be a rock or just a listening ear, because I’m not one to spill out, emotionally. I’ll keep it inside, just like my dad will. We’re ones to just kind of just soak it all in and not let everything show, and it’s got to come out in some form or fashion. And I got friends to help me kind of expel those things.”
For Garrett, talking to reporters became part of his healing process. “I think getting off my chest is kind of like the best medicine,” Garrett said.
It’s an important message for anyone who is dealing with any type of personal or family struggles. Know when you need help. Know when to ask for it. Friends, family, co-workers, neighbors. Most people are willing to show compassion and concern when others are in need. We all will be there, at some point.
For those currently dealing with such issues, Myles Garrett’s words hopefully will provide the spark needed to assess whether help is needed, and to resolve to get it. It’s out there. If all else fails, it’s right here.
