Micah Parsons defends Myles Garrett after asinine accusation

There was speculation that T.J. Watt was upset about not taking the title home as he stayed home and even sent out a cryptic tweet during the show. But he wasn’t the only one who felt Garrett didn’t deserve the award. Criticism was seen on social media but Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys, was quick to jump to Garrett’s defense saying the award went to the right man.

On Thursday night, the NFL handed out their awards at their annual honors show and the Cleveland Browns cleaned house. Four members of the organization took home an award including Kevin Stefanski (Coach of the Year), Jim Schwartz (Assistant Coach of the Year), and Joe Flacco (Comeback Player of the Year). Also honored was Myles Garrett who landed the elusive NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.

There was speculation that T.J. Watt was upset about not taking the title home as he stayed home and even sent out a cryptic tweet during the show. But he wasn’t the only one who felt Garrett didn’t deserve the award. Criticism was seen on social media but Micah Parson of the Dallas Cowboys was quick to jump to Garrett’s defense saying the award went to the right man after a ridiculous accusation that the award show was "rigged."

When a Barstool writer claimed this was an “NFL Rig Job,” Parsons accused him of stat-scouting. He not only called it a “horrible take” but pointed out how often Garrett had to be double-teamed yet still made an impact on the game.

Parsons, who is often double-teamed as well, knows how difficult it can be for a player when an offense focuses all their attention on taking you out of the game. That was the case for Garrett who still wound up with 14 sacks. Beyond his own impact, Garrett's knack for drawing attention freed up several others on the defense who had career-years in 2023 including Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Grant Delpit, Alex Wright, and Ogbo Okoronkwo.

Micah Parsons defends Myles Garrett not long after 'Cleveland is Cleveland' comment

Parsons, who recently drew the ire of Brown fans with his “Cleveland is Cleveland” comment toward David Njoku, knows a thing or two about playing defense in the NFL. In just three seasons, Parsons has 40.5 sacks including 14 this season. As previously stated, he's typically being double-teamed himself but still admits Garrett faces this more than he does — and has had more success and a larger impact on the game.

This was a classy move from Parsons, who is correct in his assessment of Garrett. But it doesn’t mean the Browns will go any easier on him this year when the two teams face off. 

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