BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Myles Garrett knows firsthand the dangers COVID-19 present.
Garrett, who got vaccinated this offseason, isn’t campaigning for those who are undecided or haven’t gotten vaccinated to get the shots.
“That's your choice, you have those liberties and those freedoms in the country that we live in,” Garrett said Wednesday. “Just do the best that you can for your family. Whatever feels right for you and for the people around you, go ahead and do that. While we're here, it's all about business, we're going to do what we can to keep on getting better each day. All that's just background noise.”
Garrett didn’t feel the need to explain to his teammates that haven't been vaccinated why he got the vaccine.
“I left it unsaid. I got sick. I didn't want to get sick again,” Garrett said. “So it was kind of point-blank apparent for me.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski continues to review the protocols and make sure his players are properly informed regarding the vaccines, but there is no internal pressure being applied.
“We're trending in the right direction, just continue to educate everybody,” Stefanski, who declined to disclose the team’s vaccination rate, said. “We have a safe and effective vaccine. We want to keep our players safe, keep their families safe, the staff etc.”
Even with vaccines readily available, COVID-19 will hover over the entire league once again, not just the Browns.
“I think it’s still a concern in the world, period,” receiver Jarvis Landry said. “But like I spoke about last year, this Cleveland Browns organization has done everything in their power to make sure we’re safe and in the conditions we need to be in to be able to come and play football.”
Catching COVID-19 last year cost Garrett any chance of winning Defensive Player of the Year, and award he has set his sights on since the Browns selected his No. 1 overall in 2017.
After missing two games because of the virus, Garrett just wasn’t the same player when he came back.
“I know I went through it and I'm hoping nobody on our team or really in sports has to go through it again,” Garrett said. “Really hoping for everyone to follow the protocols, do the best they can to keep themselves healthy, their families healthy.”
Vaccinated players enjoy more freedom this year as training camp opens.
They have to be tested once every 14 days and don’t have to wear masks or worry about social distancing whereas unvaccinated players must test daily, wear masks, social distance, are prohibited from nightclubs, can’t leave the hotel on road trips and must quarantine if they come in close contact with someone who tests positive.
“It has been a little bit different just because there is a vaccine and you have some guys who are vaccinated and some guys who are not vaccinated,” Garrett said. “And so, it's got to be a little different, those liberties that you have when you're vaccinated, they're obviously going be a little bit less tight just because there's less of a risk of you passing that to anyone else. But for the non-vaccinated guys, we're going to try to get the same work in but try to lower the risk of passing it to anybody.”
