Myles Garrett steers away from questions about speeding ticket, says he's embracing larger leadership role

BEREA — Myles Garrett claims to have dramatically changed his leadership style. It's unclear if he's driving any differently.The Browns' All-Pro defensive end declined Wednesday to discuss his recent 100 mph speeding ticket, an infraction that raised numerous questions, including whether Cleveland's best player and franchise face has learned anything from a single-car accident he was fortunate to survive three years ago.Garrett was cited for speeding in the early morning Aug. 9 by Strongsville police, who pulled him over for going 40 mph over the legal limit on I-71 in his Ferrari. The stop came as Garrett was returning home after the Browns returned from an exhibition win over the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte.Given the chance to explain his actions before Wednesday's practice, the usually open Garrett quickly steered questions in another direction."I'd honestly rather talk about football and this team than anything I'm doing off field, other than the back-to-school event that I did the other day," Garrett said.Pressed on the matter, Garrett, who has a history of speeding and reckless driving, insisted upon keeping his off-field conduct off limits — despite any public interest."People want to know a lot of things, but I try to keep my personal life personal," Garrett said. "I'd rather focus on this team when I can. … I'd rather talk about something that's more focused on this team, what we're doing, what we're trying to accomplish."Garrett's reaction and puzzling lack of accountability for the incident run counter to his maturity as a person and player over the past few seasons.The 29-year-old has not only grown into one of the NFL's best players (four-time first-team All-Pro, Defensive Player of the Year in 2023), but he's been active in the Cleveland community while remaining outspoken on a wide range of subjects.Last week, coach Kevin Stefanski called Garrett's speeding "extremely disappointing" and said he had spoken with the superstar about his risky behavior. It's the second time this summer Stefanski had to entertain questions about a player speeding after rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was ticketed for driving 101 mph in a 60 mph zone.Unlike Garrett, Sanders didn't duck from responding to the situation, admitting he was in the wrong and saying, "I definitely learned not to drive fast."The Browns believe deeply in Garrett. They signed him in March to a four-year $160 million contract extension that included $123.5 million in guaranteed money. At the time, it was the largest deal in league history for a non-quarterback.The signing came after Garrett demanded to be traded to a contender, a request that divided Cleveland's fan base over the 2017 No. 1 overall pick and put owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam in a tough spot. The latest incident doesn't necessarily change the team's feeling about Garrett, but it must be somewhat disappointed given the investment.Also, Garrett had previously promised to slow down.In 2022, he flipped his Porsche while driving with a female passenger on a rural road near his home following practice. Garrett later described the accident as a "wake-up call" and said he was lucky to have escaped serious injury.However, Garrett injured his left shoulder in the mishap and wound up missing one game while playing hurt the remainder of the season.What made his lack of contrition or an explanation about the latest speeding ticket — he's had eight during his time with the Browns — more perplexing is that when he finally pivoted to talking football before practice, Garrett said he's gained a new "platform" on which to lead.Garrett said some of those changes were prompted by internal conversations. He believes he's having a greater impact than ever."I do," said Garrett, who had 14 of his 102.5 career sacks last season. "I've heard that from multiple accounts with some players and coaches about the bit of a style change I've had this year and being a bit more minute with the attention I give and the details that I bring, making sure the guys are bringing that same detail to the game and everybody being on the same page."Garrett said he didn't need to be encouraged to be more vocal or expressive."Self-driven," he said. "It's going to go as far as I want it to go and we're only strong as the weakest link and I feel like I've got to continue to improve and find a way to elevate my teammates, not just myself."Stefanski has noticed a major change in Garrett."I've been now with Myles for six years," he said. "He's grown as a player. I hope I've grown as a coach. He's somebody I trust. He's seen a lot in his career. He's been with a bunch of different teammates and learned from those teammates."He's just a player that's continuing to evolve and certainly his leadership's been a big part of who we are around here. So he's somebody that I rely on, his teammates rely on and that's something that he embraces."The post Myles Garrett steers away from questions about speeding ticket, says he's embracing larger leadership role first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.