PITTSBURGH – Ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ final Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Myles Garret reignited an old argument that simmered at the end of last season.

Garrett was controversially named Defensive Player of the Year last season ahead of TJ Watt, a decision that has long been heavily criticized by Steelers fans.

Leading up to the 24-19 loss, Garrett said that Watt shouldn’t care that Garrett won the award before him.

Now Garrett has decided to clarify his comments ahead of this weekend’s rematch. In a video available on the Browns’ social media, Garrett spoke at length about the situation.

“It was kind of a joke when I said I was going to make him apologize,” Garrett said. “The games against the Steelers are personal because they are rivalry games. Everyone in the division is a personal game, whether it’s the Battle of Ohio, whether it’s the Ravens, whoever you have to create, that provides motivation. “It means more to the organization, it means more to the fans , and ultimately it means more to the players and all that stuff, the whole history of this tradition, it gets absorbed into you over time. So I’m not taking anything from this situation. I have a lot of respect for TJ, what he does and how talented he is and I want to be the best player on the field just like him.

An important aspect that Garrett pointed out in his initial comments is that they are not playing directly against each other as they both play defense. However, that doesn’t mean Garrett even had to bring up the award before the final matchup. Watt and the Steelers will look to settle the score in their second game this year.

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