CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – On a chilly Thursday afternoon in downtown Cleveland, Myles Garrett proudly helped to unveil a mural he commissioned.
This fall, Garrett is anxious to unveil another work of art – a rebuilt Browns defense led by the additions of Jadeveon Clowney, John Johnson III and Troy Hill.
“I think we can do a lot,” Garrett said. “With the pieces we have now, I think we’ll be very scary, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Clowney, added earlier this month, is the icing on the cake of what was a very active offseason for the Browns.
“I know everyone else is looking forward to it, and so am I,” Garrett said. “I know the guy is aggressive, really gets after it and he has a motor, keeps attacking, plays the run well and a good pass rusher. He’s an athletic specimen like someone I know on the Browns, so it will be fun. It really will. And we got a new safety. We got Takk and so, John Johnson will be able to make some plays, Greedy will hopefully be back and Takk will come in and apply some pressure. It’s all rounding out pretty nicely.”
While Garrett is excited about the new faces, he was just as disappointed to see two familiar ones depart – Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson.
“It was hard to see Sheldon and Larry go,” Garrett said. “But those are great guys, great men. I know they have their heads held high and they’ll go on to be productive wherever they go.”
Garrett, who signed a five-year, record at the time $125 million extension last July, has made Cleveland his second home and continues to involve himself in lifting up the community.
Garrett commissioned local artist Glen Infante to create a mural on Euclid Ave. outside the offices of Destination Cleveland that reflect the local culture of sports and music.
The mural, which Garrett worked with Infante to conceptualize, titled ‘Cleveland is the Reason,’ features Cleveland icons Jesse Owens, LeBron James, Machine Gun Kelly, Toni Morrison, Jim Brown, and Tracy Chapman.
“I have a passion and compassion for people, so I just wanted to give everybody something to look at, they'll smile upon when they come down the street and something that inspires them,” Garrett said.
The work is part of the Voices of Cle public art initiative, which began following last year’s civil unrest, and provides a platform, especially to those of color, for expression and to spark conversations and actions to inspire change.
“I've always had an appreciation for the arts whether it was my own artwork or it was literature or actual illustrations,” Garrett said. “So being able to actually work with an artist and being able to see his process and a finished product, that's great for what I want to do and it turns out great for Cleveland.”
Garrett has embraced Cleveland and made it his second home since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M.
“The longer I've been here, the more it's grown on me, and I've just started to love it,” Garrett said. “Even when I'm in Texas, I sometimes miss my home of being in the city or just going through and seeing the people. Back where I'm from, they say we have a lot of kind, well-mannered people, and I feel like it's the same way here in Cleveland. So it's much appreciated. It's always felt like a second home.”
A week from Thursday Cleveland will take center stage as the host of the 2021 NFL Draft.
So what does he tell out of towners about Cleveland?
“I say you've got to give it a chance,” Garrett said. “A lot people look at Cleveland and they kind of just write it off. When I tell them about it, I say, 'Just come in with an open mind. You don't know about a lot of hidden gems. You just have to go out there with no expectations. Be open to it all.'”
A general view of the 'Cleveland is the Reason' mural commissioned by Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and painted by local artist Glen Infante outside the offices of Destination Cleveland on Euclid Ave. in downtown Cleveland.Daryl Ruiter-92.3 The Fan
