End around: Browns’ Garrett goes from villain to Man of Year

One regrettable, violent moment nearly changed everything for Myles Garrett. He wouldn’t let it. Suspended, disgraced and branded a villain for his helmet- swinging attack on Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the closing seconds of a nationally televised game last year, Garrett found his playing career at a crossroads. He considered quitting However, he pushed on and persevered. Garrett turned his story around.

The Browns’ star defensive end on Thursday was named the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year, which annually recognizes the NFL’s best players for their excellence on the field and dedication to community service. “It was never going to deter me or shake my spirit or take me off the path I’ve been on and I was going to go,” Garrett said of the incident with Rudolph, which resulted in a six-game league ban. “I’ve always wanted to do these kinds of things and nothing is going to change that.” In addition to being one of the game’s best defenders, Garrett is also a highprofile ambassador for several charitable causes, serving as the active player captain for Waterboys, an organization focused on bringing clean water to communities in East Africa.

Earlier this year, Garrett took a two-week trip to Tanzania and helped install wells.

He’s made an equally significant impact at home. This summer, he reached out to victims of police brutality and their families, and Garrett covered the funeral costs for David McAtee, a barbecue restaurant owner in Louisville, Kentucky, who was shot and killed during protests.

In Cleveland, Garrett teamed up with Cleveland Hope Exchange and local businesses to provide more than 24,000 pounds of food and additional resources to those affected by COVID-19 pandemic.

Powerful and unrelenting on the field. Caring and kind off it.

“Myles has a great heart,” Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “If people questioned it because of one action last year, then shame on them because you can learn from mistakes, as I personally know very well. Myles is a great guy. He has been doing things for a lot of people around the world for a while. That just shows his character and his heart.

“He is obviously a great representation of this franchise.”

The Browns stood by Garrett in the aftermath of the Rudolph incident — he claimed the QB used a racial slur — and suspension. The team never wavered in its belief in Garrett and signed him to a five-year, $125 million contract extension in July.