'I had a guardian angel': Browns' Myles Garrett grateful to walk away from accident

BEREA — Myles Garrett bore the physical scars of his one-car accident four days earlier as he stood inside the Browns locker room Friday. There were scratches on the left side of his face and a bruise on his forehead above his left eye, which was still red from a burst blood vessel.

The emotional scars, though, he'll never allow anyone to see.

"I think emotionally I'm pretty grounded with everything, I've put it behind me," Garrett said Friday in his first public comments since the accident on Monday. "Physically I'm still dealing with some of the injuries that came along with it but it's really just a blur, it all happened pretty fast, and sometimes the last couple nights I've sat and thought about some of the different situations, scenarios, how it played out. But knowing that I can't change the past, just got to keep moving forward and glad everyone's all right."

Garrett's status for Sunday's game at Atlanta remains uncertain as he deals with a sprained shoulder and a biceps strain. The Browns officially listed both he and fellow defensive end Jadeveon Clowney as questionable against the Falcons, with coach Kevin Stefanski saying the team wanted to take "the next 24 to 48 hours" to evaluate both players.

For Garrett, it had been almost 96 hours of evaluation since his Porsche 911 Turbo S rolled over on State Road in Sharon Township, which he called a "blur." Both he and his passenger, 23-year-old Yiana Tjotjos, spent the next few hours in an area hospital before being released.

Pictures from the accident scene showed the mangled results of a car which "struck a ditch, fire hydrant and overturned several times prior to coming to final rest," according to the official crash report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Garrett said Friday he moved "out of the way of an animal coming from the right and then I remember an approaching car coming the opposite way, which was kind of … quick flashes after that.”

In those quick flashes, Garrett also saw a flash of mortality. He also believes there was another presence along with him, that of his late paternal grandfather who only recently passed away.

"I definitely feel like I had a guardian angel," Garrett said. "It was a very well-built car and I'll miss it. I loved that car. But I had just a family member recently pass away who I know is watching over me and just joined his wife. I know that they are very happy to see me come out of that car and be able to walk under my own power. It's just a blessing to have them watching over me now and being able to watch every game and I know they had something to do with us being able to get out of that car as safe and as healthy as we did."

Healthy is a subjective word. As a normal person who just experienced what Garrett did, he's as healthy could possibly be expected.

As a multi-million-dollar All-Pro defensive end who is arguably the face of a franchise, it's not quite the same level of health. Garrett, who has not practiced since a light walkthrough Monday prior to his accident, acknowledges it's been a bit of a roller-coaster ride in terms of his physical state.

"It's kind of gone up and down," Garrett said. "This morning I woke up sore, yesterday I woke up pretty fresh and right now I feel pretty loose. The treatment's been going very well for me, I've been doing stuff at home and here at the facility. It's gone up and down but I feel a lot better than I have."

That still doesn't mean Garrett feels well enough to play in less than 48 hours in Atlanta. Or that his loved ones, including his parents, Lawrence and Audrey, want him to play in the game.

"They've voiced their opinions towards me playing in this game," Garrett said of his parents. "As far as that goes, they're concerned. They want me to be a little bit more proactive with my health going into the game. But it was just all kind of focusing on what the team needs, what we need and what's actually safe for me to do."

"They've voiced their opinions towards me playing in this game," Garrett said. "As far as that goes, their concerned. They want me to be a little bit more proactive with my health going into the game. But it was just all kind of focusing on what the team needs, what we need and what's actually safe for me to do."

Garrett's team certainly would love to have his presence on the field against the Falcons. What they wanted more than anything else, though, was to just have his presence around the locker room.

The accident occurred hours after the Browns had wrapped up a light work day Monday following a weekend off after their Thursday night win over Pittsburgh. The players had their usual Tuesday off day before returning to the facility on Wednesday, although Garrett spent that day home resting.

Thursday marked Garrett's first day back in the building. That day, and the time spent around his teammates, was a big step forward for him.

"It's been amazing, seeing these guys just so happy and excited to see me in good spirits and good health and seeing these guys just ready to rock," Garrett said. "Being around football is something I love but being around these guys who I've grown with and come to know and be able to grind with for these last few months and few years with some of these guys, it's a great feeling."

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns star Myles Garrett grateful to walk away from car crash