Browns' Myles Garrett thankful for bond with Cleveland: 'It's a blessing that I was drafted here'

CLEVELAND — It's been almost five years since the Browns drafted Myles Garrett first overall after the Arlington, Texas, native playfully begged the Dallas Cowboys in an ESPN-produced video to trade with Cleveland so he could play for his hometown NFL team.

Back in 2017, Garrett apologized for the pre-draft video when he met with the Browns at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, they picked the Texas A&M University product the following month and the rest is history.

Now Garrett is a Cleveland enthusiast and thankful for the bond he has developed with the community.

“It's a blessing that I was drafted here and I can be a part of this city,” Garrett said Tuesday. “It was a blessing to be able to take care of this community that takes care of me.

“I always want to be here for this city who's always taken care of me through the hard times and hopefully more good times.”

Garrett hosted nearly 70 local children and their families during a “Home for the Holidays” event Tuesday in downtown Cleveland with United Way of Greater Cleveland and its agency partners, Lexington-Bell Community Center and YWCA of Greater Cleveland. The kids received hats, gloves and school supplies. They had opportunities to do art projects and interact with Garrett, an All-Pro defensive end.

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Garrett, 25, plans to hold many more events through his partnership with United Way.

“I wanted to be part of something like that,” Garrett said, “something special that was going to change the view of Cleveland and the landscape.

“It's a hard-working city. Men and women, families get up every day to grind and go bill to bill, go paycheck to paycheck, and they do their very best for those around them. Nobody gets to see the beauty that's all around them with having a Great Lake, having such dynamic artists and poets and some of the history that's been here such as the theater. I'm trying to get people to slow down, take their time, come to Cleveland and just appreciate everything that's around here.”

Tuesday's festivities were held on Euclid Avenue in the same area of Playhouse Square where Garrett and artist Lauren Pearce unveiled a mural in September honoring the Browns star's late paternal grandmother, Juanita Garrett. The artwork adorns the side of the United Way of Greater Cleveland building.

“Whenever I'm downtown, I make sure to pass by this spot,” Garrett said. “That's for sure.

“There's no way that I am the man I am today without a loving family and a great Gran like I had.”

Garrett has found even more support in Northeast Ohio.

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When the Browns drafted Garrett, he hoped for the best in his NFL home, but he couldn't have envisioned the extent to which Cleveland has embraced him.

“I wanted to be a part of the people. I wanted to be a part of this city for a long time,” Garrett said. “I'm one of those guys who if I get drafted by someone, I want to stick with them as long as they've stuck with me.

“It's not always guaranteed that will happen, not only with the organization, but it's not guaranteed for the city to accept you like I've been accepted. And I just hope they keep on sticking with me 'cause I'll keep on riding with them.”

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Myles Garrett says 'it's a blessing' Cleveland Browns drafted him