CLEVELAND — Two of the Cleveland Browns’ most high-profile and talented players have had some regrettable moments this offseason and John Dorsey, the man who brought both running back Kareem Hunt and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland, is no longer with the franchise.
Whether it be Beckham Jr. acting out and having a warrant issued for his arrest or Hunt getting pulled over by Rocky River police officers with small amounts of marijuana in his backpack, those moments do not fall in line with the standards set by new coach Kevin Stefanski and first-year general manager Andrew Berry.
“There’s no perfect person. There’s no perfect player,” Berry said during his introductory press conference at team headquarters Wednesday.
“You’ll probably get sick of me saying it, you’ll probably get sick of Kevin saying it, but smart, tough, accountable. That accountability is on the field, in the locker room, in the building and off the field. That’s really our profile.”
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Hunt’s latest incident comes after he missed half the 2019 season while serving a suspension for off-the-field issues.
Hunt was punished by the NFL for a physical altercation with a woman at The 9 Hotel in Downtown Cleveland, as well as two other situations that came to light after video of the first incident was released in November of 2018.
A native of Willoughby and graduate of South High School, Hunt was released from his rookie contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on November 30, 2018 when video surfaced of him pushing, and later, kicking a woman.
In the same video, Hunt was shown being physically restrained by other members of the group that had congregated in the hallway.
“Obviously, with Kareem, we’ve communicated our expectations with him moving forward. We want guys who are going to be smart, tough and accountable, on and off the field. Kareem understands that and we’re looking forward to him meshing with our culture moving forward.”
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Overjoyed with LSU’s victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Beckham Jr. was seen giving a handful of cash to wide receiver Justin Jefferson after the junior caught nine passes for 106 yards in the victory, and it was not George Washington’s picture on those bills.
Beckham Jr. handed Jefferson a handful of $100 bills as the LSU junior said, “Let me see it. Let me see it.”
While school officials initially claimed the money was fake, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow did not see it that way. Now, LSU is looking into the situation.
Then, after the on-field displays were complete, Beckham Jr. joined the players in LSU’s locker room, where after reportedly yelling out “Ohio State’s not here,” he danced in front of the team in a scene that had social media buzzing into the early-morning hours.
It was in the locker room that a 48-year old security guard attempted to get an LSU player to extinguish his cigar or take the smoking outside when Beckham Jr. slapped him on the backside, which resulted in an arrest warrant being issued.
Later that week, the officer involved decided against pressing charges on Beckham Jr.
“In terms of Odell, both of us have had really great conversations,” Berry said. “He’s one of the most talented receivers in the league, and we’re certainly happy to have him here, but everybody is going to have to fit into our culture of being smart, tough and accountable, and both those guys know that.”