Though the Browns got a big conference win to move to 8-5 on the season, one of their best players was unhappy with the officiating after Sunday’s 31-27 victory.
Unhappy might even be an understatement for defensive end Myles Garrett’s feelings about the officials given his comments in his postgame press conference.
Garrett was asked about Cleveland’s defense recording four sacks during the win and began his response by saying, “That could’ve been more.” He briefly paused before going in on the officials.
“The officiating was a travesty today. It was honestly awful,” Garrett said in his press conference. “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.
“I mean, respect to those guys, it’s a hard job, but hell, we have a hard job as well. 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.”
Garrett said his frustration wasn’t just about Sunday’s game but it’s been built up.
“I don’t want to say [something] like what [T.J.] Watt said, ‘The officials got something against me?’ But, shoot, close enough,” Garrett said. “This ‘Hack-a-Shaq’ crap has got to stop. This, ‘Y’all are as dominant as we’ve seen, and we are going to let him get away with pretty much anything’ — it’s ridiculous.
“You can’t just let a guy put his fingers in your face mask and push your head up or grab you around the back of your collar, or when he’s out of position, so he’s going to snatch you from the front — all that stuff we see, but we try to promote the offensive game. It’s got to be called fair both ways. I don’t care about any of that — offense, defense has to be held to the same standard in more ways than one.”
So why make those comments after Sunday’s win?
“If you watch the game and you see what was happening over there on the right end — you’d understand if you saw my shoulder looks right now all red and beat up and looking like I got scratched by a couple of wild feral cats or something, you’d understand,” Garrett said.
Garrett finished Sunday’s game with one tackle for loss and three quarterback hits. Though he also sacked Lawrence on a two-point conversion attempt, that one doesn’t count for his official 2023 stats.
In his seventh season, Garrett has 13.0 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and 26 QB hits so far in 2023. But his wallet is likely to be a little bit lighter after those comments about the officiating.
