‘Grateful’ Garrett wants to play if cleared by docs

BEREA, Ohio — Myles Garrett said that he’s “definitely grateful” to be alive after his single-car crash Monday and that he’s “recovering pretty quickly” from the left shoulder and right biceps injuries he suffered in the accident.

“Definitely grateful to be here,” the star Cleveland Browns pass-rusher said Friday. “With what I saw right after … the pictures.

“It was a helluva event.”

Garrett hasn’t practiced since the crash, but he was listed as questionable for Cleveland’s game Sunday at the Atlanta Falcons.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after Friday’s practice that the team will see how Garrett responds to treatment over the next two days before deciding on whether he’ll play.

Speaking for the first time since the crash, Garrett said the decision to play will be up to the training staff and coaches, but he added that he “would love to go” if it were up to him.

“That’s just my competitive spirit and my nature,” Garrett said. “Physically, we have to assess that, going up to the game. … That’s a decision we’ll make a little closer to game time.”

Garrett crashed his 2021 Porsche near Wadsworth, Ohio, striking a ditch after leaving the road, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Garrett’s vehicle then hit a fire hydrant before overturning several times. He was released from an Akron, Ohio, hospital Monday night, and earlier this week he cleared concussion protocol, the team said.

Garrett suffered a left shoulder sprain and a right biceps strain as well as cuts and bruises from the crash. He said that he also popped a blood vessel in his left eye, which was still visibly red along with bruising along the left side of his face.

A female passenger who was in the vehicle was taken to the hospital with what was described as a “minor head injury.” The highway patrol determined that impairment by drugs or alcohol was not suspected and that Garrett and the woman both were wearing seat belts.

“That really saved my and my passenger’s life,” Garrett said. “[Allowed us] to walk away from that crash.”

Garrett said that he woke up in pain Friday morning but was feeling better after treatment.

“It’s gone up and down, but right now I feel a lot better than I have,” he said. “Emotionally, I’m pretty grounded with it. I think I’ve put it behind me. Physically, I’m still dealing with the injuries that came along with it.”

Garrett said the accident itself is “a blur” to him and that he doesn’t recall “much of what happened.”

He was issued a citation for “failure to control his motor vehicle,” the highway patrol said. Garrett was traveling at an “unsafe speed for the type of roadway” he was on, which contributed to the accident, the highway patrol added. According to the crash report released to ESPN, Garrett was driving 65 mph on a road with a 45 mph speed limit.

Garrett, who admitted to racking up speeding tickets in the past, called the accident “a wake-up call” and that he needs to be “smart overall with driving.”

“I’m able to still be here,” he said. “I just need to take my time.”