CLEVELAND, Ohio — Fresh off one of the most challenging periods in his life, Myles Garrett is now in the midst of one of the most rewarding.
Reinstated by the NFL from his indefinite suspension on Feb. 12, the Browns defensive end is on his first humanitarian trip to Tanzania as NFL captain of Waterboys, the cornerstone of the Chris Long foundation which provides clean drinking water to impoverished communities in East Africa.
“First Tanzania trip with my @Waterboys.org team has been an absolute blessing,’’ Garrett tweeted. "I finally got a glimpse of the impact our organization has made on the communities of this region, and I can’t wait to show you guys how much of a difference we can make.’’
Garrett was named by Long upon his retirement as NFL captain of the organization in September, and Garrett vowed to continue Long’s mission to provide water for more than 1 million people.
“That was Chris’ vision,’’ Garrett told cleveland.com then. “He saw that in me when he handed it over. He felt like, 'This guy can take this to somewhere I probably couldn’t’ at this stage of his career, so I’m going to try to complete that dream that he’s had in mind since the beginning.’’
When Garrett was suspended indefinitely by the NFL in November for striking Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with the QB’s helmet, Long made it clear it wouldn’t impact his status with Waterboys.
“Plain and simple, what Myles Garrett did last night was wrong,’’ Long said in a statement posted to his Twitter account then. “He knows it, he’s shown contrition and he’s obviously been dealt a stiff punishment. He has a long road ahead to restore his good name that will include and already includes many obstacles. Those obstacles will not include removal from our Waterboys team.”
Garrett told cleveland.com that he had a dream back in middle school of providing clean drinking water to communities, long before he ever heard of Waterboys.
“He’s already positively impacted the lives of tens of thousands of people through bringing the gift of clean water to communities," Long wrote. “When I recruited Myles to Waterboys, I recruited him because of his thoughtfulness, intelligence and a strong desire to help others. Even after last night’s ugly scene, I still believe in Myles. He is a good person who absolutely lost his cool and will deservedly reap the consequences. But those consequences will not include taking away a vehicle for him to continue to do good.”
The trip, which began last week, included a safari in the Serengeti and a stop in the village of Simanjiro to check on of the Waterboys’ wells.
In the video clip above, Garrett is seen with dozens of Tanzanian kids having a blast trying to wrestle a football away from him.
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