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Ohio State’s Haskell Garrett opens up on 2020 shooting that nearly cost him his life

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

In August 2020, Haskell Garrett endured a life-or-death situation while attempting to help a woman in need. After intervening in a domestic altercation, the Ohio State defensive tackle was shot in the face and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Surviving the incident itself was a miracle. Even more incredible was Garrett returning to the field less than two months after the shooting.

This week, Garrett joined NFL Network’s Good Morning Football to talk about the traumatic moment that occurred in 2020. He explained in detail how it all happened.

“I was going to get my phone from my car — we had been hanging out with our teammates that night — walking to my car to get my phone. I was on the other side of the street and I saw this couple arguing. I just didn’t think anything of it. I wasn’t going to say anything,” Garrett said.

“Then I turned and looked over and saw this man hit the girl, wife, I don’t know. But I saw a man hit a woman and one of our core values at Ohio State is Title IX, respect women. Immediately, my instincts are to go help that woman. So I went over there, I intervened and when I pushed him away from her, looked towards her, and when I looked back everything just went black.

“The next thing I knew, I was picking myself up in a puddle of blood. I hit a fight-or-flight moment. I didn’t have my phone. It was either lay here and die or run back to my apartment and get help from Pete (Werner), my roommate. So I picked myself up, with all the strength I had and ran home. Told my roommate, ‘Call the ambulance, I think I’ve been shot.'”

Garrett was transported to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and was treated for his injuries. He was released a few days later and issued a statement.

“I would first like to thank God for keeping his hedge of protection during this time,” Garrett wrote. “I want to thank the first responders from the Columbus PD, the EMTs, and the doctors and nurses who took care of me at the Wexner Medical Center. I also want to thank all of my family and friends for their thoughts and prayers during this awful circumstance. I want to inform everyone that I am okay and my recovery is going well.”

Less than two months after the shooting, Garrett returned to the field for the Buckeyes. He played in Ohio State’s season opener against Nebraska and recorded his first career sack. It was an incredible accomplishment for the defensive tackle giving the circumstances he faced just a few weeks earlier.

Last season, Garrett ended the year with 5.5 sacks, leading the Buckeyes in the category. Now, he’s preparing to hear his name called during the 2022 NFL Draft.

You can hear Garrett’s complete recollection of the story in the video posted by Good Morning Football:

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB