Sacked: Browns All-Pro Garrett ‘retires’ from basketball

<p>BEREA, Ohio &mdash; Myles Garrett can dump all the quarterbacks he wants. His dunking days are over.</p>
<p>The Browns’ All-Pro defensive end, who recently <a href="https://twitter.com/MylesLGarrett/status/1397668677219127296?s=20">posted videos on Twitter </a> and Instagram of him dominating on the basketball court, has put his hoops game on hold.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, Garrett, who is attending Cleveland’s voluntary conditioning program, joked that he’s following Michael Jordan’s lead.</p>
<p>“I feel like it’s more of a Jordan retirement,” Garrett said. “He went to baseball for a second. I went to basketball for a second, now I have to go back to what I’m good at, what I usually do, playing football, rushing the passer, stopping the run.</p>
<p>“Next season, you never know. I might go back to basketball, I might go play baseball, see if I can get on a team. There’s more on the horizon, but right now I have to get back to what my main focus is.”</p>
<p>While Garrett was kidding around, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski seemed much more serious when asked about his star player’s basketball skills.</p>
<p>“He retired,” Stefanski said. “Great career for Myles, really proud of him. But he’s done.”</p>
<p>Stefanski was then asked if he had to talk with Garrett about hanging up his sneakers.</p>
<p>“He’s retiring,” Stefanski repeated.</p>
<p>Garrett’s basketball jones began in February when he posted a video playing in a pickup game and included a message to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, asking if he needed a “big guard.” Garrett recently tweeted a video of him dribbling behind the back and dunking over two defenders.</p>
<p>The idea of Garrett risking injury while playing basketball was unsettling to the Browns. They signed him to a five-year, $100 million contract extension last year and have Super Bowl aspirations this season.</p>
<p>During a Zoom conference call, Garrett, who suffers with asthma, said he’s fully recovered after getting COVID-19 and missing two games.</p>
<p>He returned but struggled late in the season and playoffs with his conditioning.</p>
<p>“I feel great,” he said. “I feel the best that I have since last year before COVID. It’s a wonderful feeling. I feel like it was kind of a long road and now that I’m back I’m feeling well-conditioned and feeling back at my peak.”</p>
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