BEREA, Ohio ā *EDITOR'S NOTE: The video in the player above is from a previous story
The sports world was left in awe last week after Browns defensive end Myles Garrett shared a video of his abilities on the basketball court.
The 6-foot-4, 272-pound behemoth would certainly be the star of any pickup game, as evidenced by his one-handed slam on some poor sap. But while Garrett's hoops skills may be amusing to all of us, one person who apparently wasn't amused was his football coach, and it appears it's lead to a premature end to Garrett's basketball career.
"He retired," Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Wednesday at OTAs in Berea. "Congratulations on a great career for Myles. Really proud of him, but he's done."
When asked if he personally talked to Myles about stepping away from the court, Stefanski only reiterated that "he's retired."
Garrett basketball highlights are unquestionably fun to watch, but they also can raise injury concerns, and the Browns are taking no chances with the season just three months away.
However, the two-time All-Pro doesn't seem to be ruling out a comeback just yet.
"I feel like it's more of a 'Jordan retirement,' Garrett said, referring to NBA legend Michael Jordan's decision to play baseball before eventually returning to the Chicago Bulls "Now I've got to go back to what I'm good at, what I usually do. ... But next season, you never know. I might go back to basketball, I might go play baseball ... but there's more on the horizon right now. I've got to get back to what my main focus is."
Garrett's "main focus" isn't a bad fallback option by any means, especially since the 25-year-old currently has the second-best odds to win the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award. During a 2020 campaign that saw the Browns go 11-5 and win their first playoff game since 1994, he tallied 12 sacks and was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.
Those gaudy numbers came despite Garrett's season ending with a bit of a thud that was out of his control: He missed back-to-back games after testing positive for COVID-19 in November, and even after returning his production dipped slightly as he continued to deal with the effects of the virus. More than six months later, he believes those health troubles are behind him.
"I feel like the best I have since last year before COVID," Garrett said, adding he felt his symptoms were exacerbated by his asthma. "I'm feeling well-conditioned and feeling back at my peak, so the world's ahead of me."
Even with Garrett's and the team's success, the defense was seen as an overall weakness for the Browns last year, so the front office spent the offseason making upgrades both through free agency and the draft. Some of those new faces are at OTAs this week, and they are relishing the change to play alongside a lineman of Garrett's caliber.
"Freak of nature," were the words new linebacker Anthony Walker used to describe Garrett. "He's as advertised. ... I'm much more happy to be his teammate than [to] have him sacking my quarterback."
Watch today's full press conferences in the player below: