ARUSHA, Tanzania — Myles Garrett loved dinosaurs. Many children his age did — this was the era of “Jurassic Park” — but Garrett’s interest went beyond hard plastic toys and a stuffed tyrannosaurus. On summer days, he would venture to the yard of his family’s home in Arlington, Texas, dragging a shovel behind him.

He would size up the terrain, find that perfect spot, and then he would dig. You see, Garrett didn’t just love dinosaurs. He believed with all his young heart that he was meant to find dinosaur bones, and that this discovery would occur just outside his back door.

Garrett would dig and dig and dig. If he found nothing, if an empty hole threatened to sap his belief, he would just move to another spot in the yard. A new start. New promise. And, quickly, a new hole.

Garrett did this with such enthusiasm that his family’s yard quickly resembled an excavation site. Hole after hole after hole, some 3 feet deep, with small mounds of dirt by their side. It was quaint for a stretch, but then one day Lawrence, Garrett’s father, walked outside and fell over one of his son’s pits.

Enough, his father said, no more holes.

On a late morning last month, while standing on a dirt road in Tanzania, Garrett thought about that moment from his childhood, about those holes. He was watching two women from a nearby village dig in the sand. They had been at it for hours — their holes were roughly 5 feet in diameter — searching for clean groundwater they could carry home to their families in yellow plastic cans. It was a familiar sight as Garrett traveled around Tanzania, women looking for water to meet the needs of their village.

Garrett arrived in this East African nation Feb. 16 to participate in a humanitarian mission with the Waterboys program, which uses pro athletes to help raise money and awareness in the fight to bring accessible drinking water to Tanzania through solar-powered wells. It has installed 85 units, serving more than 360,000 residents in its first five years of operation with a goal of reaching 1 million people.

He spent 11 days here, and while his trip was not a public relations campaign — it was planned months in advance — it felt at the least like a moment to hit reset. Garrett was four months removed from the Nov. 14 melee at the end of the Cleveland Browns win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, when he ripped the helmet from quarterback Mason Rudolph and clubbed him over the head with it. In a later meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Garrett said Rudolph had provoked him with a racial slur, which the quarterback denied. Lines were quickly drawn, with some saying Garrett was exposing an uncomfortable truth and others accusing him of lying to justify his violent act.

The trip also came only three days after Garrett went on ESPN and doubled down on his assertion that Rudolph had goaded him with a racist taunt, pumping fresh energy into the controversy. Garrett has insisted the incident and the aftermath won’t define him, and in Tanzania it didn’t. He was mostly an anonymous figure here, moving freely, taking in the plight of the people, doing his work.

But even amid that calm, 8,000 miles from home while watching those women search for water, Garrett pondered the holes he’s dug.

A woman from a Tanzanian village burrows for water in the sand. (Tom Reed / The Athletic)

Two days into his trip, a still jet-lagged Garrett sat in the lobby of the Arusha Hotel. The 128-year-old establishment has hosted dignitaries and wealthy guests, many of whom come for safaris or to climb nearby Mount Kilimanjaro. The late actor John Wayne reportedly held court in the downstairs bar while on location for the 1962 action movie “Hatari,” which in Swahili means danger.

Garrett was in the lobby for the first of two scheduled interviews with The Athletic. He was uneasy, perhaps because he knew the first chat would include questions about the fight and the aftermath. It also came five days after his interview with ESPN aired, during which he said Rudolph had called him “the stupid N-word,” a detail he hadn’t previously disclosed publicly. Following its airing, Rudolph again denied the racial accusation via social media and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin gave a rare offseason interview to ESPN defending his quarterback.

Garrett hadn’t informed the Browns of his network appearance — they found out about it through an ESPN tweet that embedded a portion of it — and he came off as ill-prepared. One example: He thought quarterbacks’ helmets were equipped with microphones, which could pick up audio. In fact, they only have speakers to hear instructions from coaches.

“I dropped the ball there,” he says. “I should have told the Browns before I did it. It sprung up in my lap and I thought it was a good chance to talk about Waterboys. I knew they would bring up the incident. I would have my say on it and move on to the next topic.”

It didn’t work out that way.

Garrett’s father called him after the ESPN interview aired Feb. 15 and told him, in essence: Enough. No more holes.

“Should have saved that for your autobiography,” Lawrence told his son.

“(My father) was right,” Garrett says. “Have your say some other day. That’s the best way to put it. Got to be smart with what you say and when you say it.”

In Tanzania, Garrett heeded his father’s words. Asked if he regretted disclosing in the ESPN interview the exact wording he says Rudulph used, Garrett replies: “In saying it, I’ve said my piece and I’ve let it go.” Asked if the “N-word” had ever been directed at him in games prior to that night, Garrett replies: “Next question.”

At some point this spring, he will resume group interviews at Browns OTAs and questions about the brawl will be asked.

“I’ll either say ‘next question’ or ignore it because we have talked enough about it and given it so much energy and time. We’ve got other things to worry about. We have a lot of good players we are trying to put together and make a winner out of this team, and I think that’s possible.

“… I’ve said my piece and I literally have left that behind in America. I’m out here trying to take all this in. I’m not losing any sleep about anything that’s happened in the past. … That was last season and last season’s problems. If it comes up this season and I have to deal with any repercussions because of it, I’ll take it in stride.”

During our second chat five days later, Garrett was more relaxed. Perhaps that was because he knew the questioning would stay clear of the Rudolph incident or because traveling around Tanzania had brought some distance and perspective. Still, some of his remarks circled back to the subject.

Garrett says he has been speaking to a therapist recommended by the Browns, trying to manage the fine line between aggression and recklessness. Even before he struck Rudolph, Garrett contributed to the undisciplined play that helped sink the Browns season. He committed three personal fouls in the first two games, including one for punching Titans tight end Delanie Walker.

“I have just talked (to the therapist) about certain situations that have gone on in my life,” Garrett says. “She does not think I have anger issues. She thinks I’m a lot like many young professional athletes. We all go through a lot of things and it’s about handling situations as they come and not letting them impact each other.

“It’s good to have someone to talk to. It’s been a good healthy relationship between her and I. It allows me to vent. She never felt I had unreleased emotion. She really thinks a couple more (sessions) will be really beneficial. A lot of times, you don’t have that opportunity to just talk and say what you want without the person having a biased opinion. You want to talk to someone and you want that person to listen.”

Myles Garrett looks at two Maasai villagers who are shepherding their cattle. (Tom Reed / The Athletic)

The grade school children, all dressed in royal blue sweaters, gathered in a dirt courtyard staring in awe at the 6-foot-4, 271-pound American standing before them. With the late afternoon sun sinking in the sky, Garrett grabbed a football and started tossing it into the group of students, primarily children from the Maasai tribe. Most had never seen a football, but with each pass the squeals of delight grew louder.

As Garrett and good friend Jeremy Medina floated spirals over their heads, a portion of the kids decided it was time to show the defensive end what it’s like to be on the receiving end of an all-out blitz. Garrett exploded in laughter as he furiously backpedaled.

“All of a sudden, I have 60 African pass rushers coming after me,” he says. “Kids love to play. They don’t care what they are playing or what they are doing. They just want to interact with people who care. I think that’s the same anywhere you go.”

Garrett and others in the traveling party, which included donors and other athletes, were squired throughout the country to observe the differences in people with and without clean water. The school has access to one of Waterboys’ deep-bore wells and was one of the organization’s success stories.

Waterboys was founded five years ago by two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long. In 2013, the defensive lineman came to Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and learned of the water scarcity crisis through a chance meeting with Fox Sports broadcaster Joe Buck and Doug Pitt, a board member of WorldServe International and an ambassador to Tanzania.

Long’s mother came up with the Waterboys’ name and organizers developed its slogan, “Dig Deep.”

Garrett liked the concept and contacted Long to express an interest. While at Texas A&M, Garrett visited Haiti and built houses as part of the Mission of Hope program, so altruism was something he prioritized.

The timing could not have been better. Just as Garrett earned his first Pro Bowl nomination in 2018, Long was retiring. The Waterboys patriarch envisioned Garrett becoming the face of his charitable franchise. He named Garrett the Waterboys captain last fall.

Then, in the dying seconds of that Steelers game, Long watched his new leader weaponize a football helmet. For the next 48 hours, he couldn’t turn on the television without seeing replays of Garrett bashing Rudolph.

“My first inclination was, man, did he fuck up,” Long recalled.

He considered stripping Garrett of the captaincy, worried that his presence in a prominent position would alienate donors and jeopardize the support of other athletes. But he couldn’t do it.

“I’ve done things in my life that I want back,” Long says. “Talk to older players and they’ll tell you the same thing … Myles is going to need this. He’s really going to need this. Part of redemption is putting in the work and showing people who you really are and not that guy they saw in that game. … This is going to be a symbiotic relationship: he’s going to help us and we’re going to help him.”

Myles Garrett and Chris Long prepare to pour water into buckets from one of the Waterboys’ wells. (Courtesy of Clay Cook)

For Long, it wasn’t enough for Garrett to read stories, watch videos and quote statistics about how half of Tanzania’s 57 million citizens lack access to safe water. He wanted the player he calls “The Big Dawg” to be in the back of a Toyota Land Cruiser riding across bumpy dirt roads and pockmarked cattle paths — the only avenues to the at-risk people of the Maasai, Datoga and Hadzabe tribes. The locals term these vertebrae-rattling rides, “the African Massage.”

Tanzania, which gained its independence from Great Britain in 1961, has a growing population and economy, but many of its precious resources are controlled by foreign companies. The government’s effort to expand social services such as education, water and sanitation has fallen short of demand, according to World Bank figures. It’s why the mountainous region, with thriving coffee crops, owns one of the world’s highest infant mortality rates.

“Water is the starting point,” says pastor Simeon Vomo, a social and religious leader who works closely with Waterboys partner WorldServe International. “It makes possible all the avenues to development.”

Garrett was particularly interested in stories of what life is like for women in tribes lacking reliable water sources. Many walk at least 5 kilometers one way in search of them. One student’s mother was killed by a charging buffalo. Others have been sexually assaulted.

Men shepherd livestock, protect families from predators and make all the important decisions affecting their tribes. Arranged marriages are common, and women have no voice in selecting suitors.

Garrett watched Maasai women drawing water from a muddy pond and loading heavy containers onto donkeys for transport. One woman performed the task while carrying a baby in a pouch attached to the back of her garment. Those without donkeys must walk along dirt roads with 40-pound canisters of water balanced on their heads.

“I’m not sure if it’s like any other culture in the world that I have seen,” says Garrett, who’s traveled to seven countries. “The women basically do everything, and the children, as soon as they are able to hold a stick, are handling the cattle.”

During each school visit, Garrett and others were treated to songs and dances of celebration from villagers clad in brightly colored cotton shukas. Dances featured performers jumping straight up and down as if on invisible pogo sticks. San Francisco 49ers center Ben Garland, Houston Texans linebacker Whitney Mercilus and Garrett joined in the revelry. “I wouldn’t want to do this during training camp because it’s really hard on the calves,” one player says.

The well at the Mbuko Primary School is about a half-mile from its property. As Garrett and the others gathered at the well, as local elders made speeches, a child walked up to the spigot and wrapped her lips around it.

“Think about that in terms of America,” Garrett says later. “Think about the hygiene aspect of it. You’re taught to wait for it to come out and maybe put it in your cupped hands. Here, they are so thirsty for clean water they just don’t care.”

NFL players Ben Garland, Myles Garrett and Whitney Mercilus take part in a traditional jump dance. (Courtesy of Clay Cook)

“I’ve already talked to (Browns teammate) Christian Kirksey about this. I’m trying to get Baker (Mayfield) involved. Trying to get David Njoku onboard. With his African heritage, I know it’s something he would love to be a part of.”

On the final day of his Waterboys mission, Garrett crackled with ideas and enthusiasm. The connection Long hoped he’d make during the trip had occurred. Garrett spoke not only of recruiting more players, of returning to Tanzania in the future, but also of what the trip had stirred inside him.

“This is my heritage even if I don’t know the whole story (behind it),” he says. “ … Somewhere around here, there’s probably a Garrett that I will never know and never recognize, but these are my people.”

This was what Long wanted, an engaged protege ready to take the reins.

“I might be more reserved than Chris (Long), but I can get the job done in my own way,” Garrett says. “I gotta open up — and I will.”

Says Long: “I can’t wait to see Myles come out of his shell.”

What that could mean for the Browns’ future is unclear.

He’s excited to return to Los Angeles and train for next season. He expects to invite teammate and good friend Larry Ogunjobi to join him to work on pass-rush moves. Garrett not only wants to re-sign with the Browns — he’s eligible for a contract extension — but he says it’s his desire to finish his career with the franchise.

He knows a few relationships might need mending given how the Browns defense, particularly the pass rush, faltered in his absence over the final six games of last season.

“They are either mad at you, which is understandable, or they are supportive of you — or, both,” Garrett says. “Those are all understandable reactions to what happened. At the end of the day, I’m going to return and do my best to turn things around.”

Emotionally charged games with the Steelers await, and his efforts to toe that line between aggression and recklessness will be endlessly scrutinized. And though he has says he wants to put what happened that day in November behind him, he will be asked about it to see whether he changes his story or roils the waters again.

But in Africa, for most of his 11 days here, it was possible to view Garrett as someone starting fresh. He was energized by the positive attitudes of so many people facing hardships, the blessings they found in a rain shower and flourishing crops.

One day, while traveling in the Land Cruiser through the Tanzanian bush with his friend Jeremy and members of a Waterboys media crew, Garrett was as animated and relaxed as almost any time on the trip. He talked about video games and movies, and then regaled everyone with a story about the speech Kobe Bryant gave to Browns players two years ago. As the topic of music came up, a wireless speaker was supplied by a photographer and Garrett synced it with his phone. He chose the tracks — Elton John, Queen, Journey — and sometimes sang along. Eventually, he dialed up Toto’s “Africa.” Those in the Land Cruiser laughed as they rattled along the rugged dirt trails.

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

I bless the rains down in Africa

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

At that moment, he was a young man not worrying about his holes or what might become of the dirt.

(Top photo courtesy of Clay Cook)