BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has seen the end of his hooping career and now says his days participating in the Pro Bowl Games are also behind him after sustaining a toe injury during an obstacle course at the end of last season.
Garrett had suffered a dislocated toe in the Gridiron Gauntlet competition, a four-part relay, scaling walls and crawling under objects. When it happened, Garrett knew immediately that fans were going to lose it.
"Only thing went through my mind was, ‘Ain’t no way.' It was like, my friends and my agent were like, ‘You sure you want to do this?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, sure, why not?’ And first wall I jump up on, hit my foot and my foot goes numb. I'm like, ‘Oh damn, I just broke my toe,’ and I'm thinking, ‘Damn, Browns Twitter's going to go crazy right now,'" Garrett laughed. "So, I finished, and I start walking off. I was like, ‘Yeah, I can't feel like the top of my foot.’ I'm like, ‘There's no way I get set back like this from the Pro Bowl.’"
While the injury hasn't stopped Garrett from offseason workouts, it has nagged at him—even more so than the injuries he sustained in a rollover crash.
"It's been getting better, little by little and, honestly, I got more beef with the Pro Bowl and messing up my toe than I do with the shoulder right now. I think the shoulder will be just fine," Garrett said. "The toe is the most nagging thing trying to get out there, do agility, run and plant, stuff that I can do, but it's just nagging stuff. It's just frustrating. But by the time season rolls around, I don't think any of that will be an issue."
Garrett said that the experience has turned him off of the post-season activity, calling it quits when it comes to the Pro Bowl.
"Retired, done," Garrett said. "It's over. Hoops and obstacle courses are in the fine print. No more for MG."
Garrett said the format of the Pro Bowl Games was not something he, or any player he talked to, was a big fan of, but he had some ideas for a revamp of the event.
If the NFL were to incorporate Garrett's idea for having fans participate in the Pro Bowl Games, he just might reconsider participating once again.
"I think something including the fans. Say you got the D-line and the O-line to be quarterbacks and we played with fans and they were the skill positions and then you had fans being quarterback and running backs and then you had the skill guys playing their natural position, but you have fans and just fans playing those two, the quarterback and running back and throwing to them and trying to play out the backfield. I think that could be fun," Garrett said.
While Garrett continues dealing with the nagging toe injury, he's focused on making his offseason workouts and experiences fun and enjoyable for him and those around him.
"Have some fun. it's been up and down for a while. This last year had its ups and downs. I feel like my career here has had its ups and downs, but got to make the most out of things," Garrett said. "I'm trying to make the most out of today. I'm trying to make the most, get the most out of myself and from everyone I come in contact with just because that lasting impression I have on everyone I interact with could be the last thing they remember of me. So I want to make it a good memory. I want to be a good person to be around, as subjective as that is."
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