CLEVELAND — Head coach Freddie Kitchens addressed the media following the league's decision to indefinitely suspend Myles Garrett for his actions in the final seconds of Thursday's game against the Steelers.
Kitchens, who sounded defeated during the call, told reporters that Garrett understands the magnitude of his actions and he knows he let his teammates and fans down. Kitchens said last night they expected some type of response from the league.
“You have consequences for your actions. You put it in their [league] hands when you have a reaction like that,” he said.
Watch the full conference call below:
Kitchens said he sat down for a lengthy one-on-one conversation with Garrett, who voiced remorse for his actions. Kitchens reiterated that the entire organization stands by him.
“On a personal level, that’s what I want Myles to understand. That the ball is in his court on how he responds to this. It’s up to him on showing people and the NFL that that’s not who he is,” he said. You’re looking at a guy who is tremendous asset to the organization, the fans, and he’s always out in the community.”
However, aside from the last eight seconds of the game, Kitchens said he was proud of his team.
“We competed. We stayed together. Our defense played remarkable. To go 2-0 in the division was huge for us. It always starts with our division and that’s huge. For the Cleveland Browns organization for us to beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the same year that has never happened. So many good things from last night that of course get overshadowed and I hate it for our guys because they put the time and the effort into getting to this point.”
Freddie Kitchens commented on how the rest of the team handled the situation.
"I thought our sideline handled it well, I was proud of the discipline they showed to do that."
RELATED: Myles Garrett apologizes in statement following indefinite suspension
