Haskell Garrett full strength at NFL Combine after injury-marred season
INDIANAPOLIS — The Ohio State doctors tried to shut Haskell Garrett down for at least a game.
Another injury at the Senior Bowl could have been an easy excuse to pull out of that action.
But the Buckeyes defensive tackle didn’t sit out either time, which by now should probably come as no surprise since Garrett has made a habit of shrugging off health concerns to keep doing what he loves.
Whether it was the nagging ankle injury that slowed him for the second half of his senior season, a sore shoulder in January or his famous return from being shot in the face to become an All-American, there is plenty of evidence about the lengths Garrett will go to stay on the field. He still is facing consistent questions this week at the NFL Combine about his health, but the answers come easily now.
“I mean, I’m 100 percent,” Garrett said on Friday morning at Lucas Oil Stadium. “It’s just about answering those questions [here] and showing them — especially at the Reese’s Bowl — that I can play through injuries. And I’m showing them I’m dependable.
“You know, it’s like when we played Maryland and I had that little ankle tweak and going through that. I just handled it the best I could because you want to be out there. I didn’t miss any games. … Going into the Michigan State game, I was told not to play. But I wanted to be there for my teammates and be there for the last two games. They told me to rest, but we were chasing something bigger.”
The Buckeyes wound up coming short of those goals after a disappointing upset loss at Michigan. Haskell Garrett clearly wasn’t at full strength in The Game, and that certainly didn’t help matters much for the flu-ridden Buckeyes as they were repeatedly gashed on the ground.
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Whether a healthy Garrett could have helped tipped the scales for Ohio State is irrelevant now. But the situation was severe enough that he ultimately did take a training-staff recommendation to rest his ankle after the regular season, electing to opt out of the Rose Bowl so he could start rehabbing in time to be ready for the NFL Combine and Pro Day this month.
“It was really hard,” Garrett said. “I was torn, because I really wanted to finish the season and be with my brothers in that ballgame and you know, say a farewell in a good way but I had to really take care of my health and get ready for the next step.
“When we lost The Game, I had to change my focus to my family and do what’s best for me. I needed to get [the ankle] right and let it heal and get get prepared for this big year.”
Haskell Garrett kicked it off by proving his toughness yet again in the Senior Bowl.
And if there are any more questions about his ability to fight through injuries, his track record speaks for itself.
