For the first time, the Cleveland Browns didn’t care that Myles Garrett wasn’t with them on the field.
The all-pro defensive end stayed home resting and recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident in which another car was not involved. His condition for Sunday’s game, a visit to Atlanta, is in doubt.
Garrett was not at the team’s facility. Just two days earlier, the player considered one of the NFL’s best defensive backs overturned in his Porsche when he swerved on a country road near his home after a workout.
In the accident, he suffered a shoulder sprain, a distended biceps, cuts, and bruises.
“We’re very grateful that he’s okay,” said coach Kevin Stefanski, who has spoken with Garrett.
After the mishap, Garrett was hospitalized for a few hours. Footage from a camera attached to the body of a Medina County sheriff’s office showed the athlete stunned as he was being treated by medical personnel. He was sitting near his overturned and damaged vehicle.
The team reported that Garrett overcame the concussion protocol.
Stefanski expects Garrett to return on Thursday and has not ruled out the possibility that he can practice. For Sunday’s game, the strategist said Garrett will be evaluated by team doctors who will consider his physical and emotional condition before authorizing him to play.
“You have to take everything into account,” Stefanski said. “But I think it’s something we do all the time. All in all, it’s case by case and I’ve really talked to him, although I hope he’ll be here tomorrow so I can talk more deeply.”
Several of Garrett’s colleagues have expressed gratitude and relief that he did not result in more serious injuries in the crash, in which an unidentified companion was also injured.
