Though there are now not any felony fees pending in opposition to Browns rookie broad receiver Isaiah Bond or rookie working again Quinshon Judkins, each gamers stay topic to NFL self-discipline. The identical is true for veteran linebacker Devin Bush, whose easy assault/harassment fees are nonetheless pending and who has a jury trial scheduled for Dec. 2.
Except Bush can attain a take care of prosecutors properly prematurely of his trial date, any league self-discipline seemingly will likely be delayed till 2026. Since Bond and Judkins are within the clear from a felony standpoint, the NFL might determine on them at any time.
Nonetheless, it seems no such resolution is imminent. Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, league spokesman Brian McCarthy has no replace on the matter, so the standing of the 2 rookies stays in limbo in the meanwhile.
Judkins, a second-round decide, was drafted with the expectation that he would compete for a major workload instantly, as solely Jerome Ford was penciled in above him on the depth chart. His misdemeanor home battery cost threw a wrench within the works, and though prosecutors determined over two weeks in the past that they’d not transfer ahead with the case, Judkins stays unsigned.
In a latest look on “PFT Dwell,” Cabot mentioned the potential causes for the delay (by way of Mike Florio of Professional Soccer Discuss). Now {that a} handful of second-rounders chosen after Judkins have obtained totally assured rookie contracts, it may very well be that the Browns don’t need to go that route for Judkins in gentle of the circumstances.
The default language may be a problem. Sometimes, suspensions void all remaining ensures on a contract, and Judkins might properly obtain a suspension stemming from the latest allegations of home battery. As such, he could also be making an attempt to persuade the staff to exclude that specific incident from the default provisions in his deal.
All of that’s simply hypothesis, as Cabot acknowledges the explanation for Judkins’s unsigned standing is unclear. She did say the previous Ole Miss and Ohio State standout just isn’t contemplating a return to school soccer (NCAA guidelines technically stop that, however Florio believes Judkins might win a authorized problem on that entrance).
Bond was a reputable Day 2 prospect whose draft inventory was tanked by his sexual assault fees. After a grand jury declined to indict him, he rapidly caught on with the Browns, and he presents intriguing upside in a WR room that has loads of query marks behind Jerry Jeudy.
Nonetheless, given the problems surrounding Judkins and Bush, and in gentle of the backlash the staff confronted after buying quarterback Deshaun Watson a number of years in the past, there have been members of the group who had been uncomfortable with signing Bond, based on Albert Breer of SI.com. Whereas the staff’s prime decision-makers clearly felt the danger was definitely worth the reward, the truth that there was apparently some pushback is notable.
