BEREA, Ohio — If you’re still on the fence or are adamantly opposed to getting vaccinated for COVID-19, listen to Myles Garrett.
Just do it.
“You have your own personal liberties…it’s up to anybody, what you want to do with your body,” the Cleveland Browns star defensive end told USA TODAY Sports. “I would say go do it, get the vaccine, to decrease the risk of getting COVID or spreading it to someone who is going to have an adverse reaction like myself.”
Garrett, 25, is undoubtedly one of the most credible players in the NFL to deliver a message about risks associated with COVID-19 given his experiences.
His father, Lawrence, suffered immensely before rebounding after contracting COVID-19 in 2020. His mother, Audrey, was also struck and experienced mild symptoms. Garrett also lost a great-grandmother to COVID-19.
And one of the game's most dominant players had a scary bout with COVID-19 during the second half of last season that derailed a campaign seemingly on course to challenge Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.
“Personally, it whipped my ass,” Garrett said during an interview at the Browns headquarters last weekend. “It took me out.”
Garrett ripped off some of the classic symptoms: "I couldn’t smell, and what I could smell was like an iron, like a metallic sensation in my nose. It felt like it was burning. Like sometimes for 30 minutes, an hour. It made my head hurt. My eyes watered. Stuffy. Had phlegm. Felt weak.”
Of course, the labored breathing took a toll. Garrett missed two games after testing positive in late November, returning for a contest at Tennessee on Dec. 6.
“I come back and I feel like I can go,” he recalled. “Then three plays in, I feel like I’m exhausted. My first game back, I’m using oxygen in the first quarter.”
He shook his head as he reflected.
"You hear about some people who have no symptoms at all,” Garrett said. "It’s just strange how it affects each and every person.”
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Although there are a handful of high-profile players across the league who have acknowledged that they are not vaccinated or won’t confirm that they have been vaccinated – including Buffalo Bills receiver Cole Beasley, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson – the message from Garrett at this point is more relevant for society at large than it is for his NFL brethren.
As of Tuesday, 92% of NFL players were fully vaccinated or had at least one of the shots, according to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, with 15 of the league’s 32 teams hitting vaccination rates of at least 95%.
Now compare that to the overall rate in the nation. According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only about 50% of adults in the United States are fully vaccinated, with 58.8% having had at least one shot.
Imagine if the rest of the country had the same rate as NFL players, who largely fall in the 21-to-34 age range that has lagged with vaccinations.
Sure, the COVID-19 protocols instituted by the league and the NFL Players Association have contributed to the league vaccination rates that have increased in recent weeks as teams reported to training camps. The protocols dictate that unvaccinated players must wear masks at team facilities and submit to daily testing, among other measures. Also, the league has indicated that if outbreaks occur during the season, teams will more likely lose games through forfeit (without pay for the players) rather than have the season extended to squeeze contests in. So, yes, the NFL’s culture has strongly encouraged vaccinations.
Regardless, Garrett wasn’t one who needed to be convinced. He said he never hesitated after a vaccine became available to him in Texas.
“I got it a couple of months ago,” Garrett said. He took the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and now hopes that it will protect his against the delta variant that has fueled a spike in COVID-19 cases.
“I saw something the other day where they were asking if it’s even viable?” Garrett said. “I’m like, ‘Don’t say that.’ There’s a new tenacity with this variant of the disease. What do you want us to do?
“I don’t recommend doing nothing. Nothing is not the best option. You can still take precautions in staying away from people, wearing your mask, making sure you lower your risk of passing it on to someone else who doesn’t want to get the vaccine. Just be smart.”
The episode that involved his father a little more than a year ago has resonated with Garrett and other family members, as you’d expect. It was easy to sense how emotional it was for Garrett, who reflected on his visits home to Arlington, Texas, to see his father before training camp opened last year.
“My dad was real sick,” he said. “I went to see him a couple of times. He was barely walking. He couldn’t breathe. He was coughing up. He was tired. When I saw him, I was in the driveway and he was sitting in a chair with my mother next to him. The closest I could get to him was about 10 feet away. He was just tired, sluggish, exhausted.”
Garrett said his parents were vaccinated as soon as they were able. In his circle of family and close friends, there has been no debate.
“Everybody else I’ve talked to has gotten it,” Garrett said.
Garrett, who entered the NFL as the No. 1 pick overall in 2017, is eager to demonstrate his previous form. After returning last season for the Browns’ playoff run, Garrett had lingering effects that seemingly can be linked to sack statistics – just one measure of his prowess.
In the nine games last season before he tested positive for COVID-19, Garrett led the NFL with 9 1⁄2 sacks. Over the course of his final seven games, including two playoff starts, Garrett had 3 1⁄2 sacks.
Asked if he had any concern that the COVID-19 effects will carry over to this season, Garrett dismissed the question as he might brush off some rookie left tackle trying to block him as he attacked with a speed rush.
“I can’t worry about that,” Garrett responded.
In any event, he lost no desire in his mission to go down among the game’s greats. He was the last Browns player off the field — again — after a recent practice as he worked alone for more than a half-hour, finishing up in the grueling heat with a series of wind sprints.
He said, “You’re either going to get better or you’re getting worse.”
In Garrett’s view, that's a matter of choice in more ways than one.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.
