Browns suspend Winslow
Published 9:38 am Wednesday, October 22, 2008
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns unveiled their own defensive scheme to shut down Kellen Winslow.
The team suspended their talented, emotional tight end for one game without pay for critical comments Winslow made following Sunday’s loss at Washington.
Winslow, who spent three days at the Cleveland Clinic earlier this month with an undisclosed illness, revealed he had a staph infection — for the second time — before lashing out at Browns general manager Phil Savage as the Pro Bowler’s teammates dressed after their 14-11 loss to the Redskins.
Winslow complained that the team, which has had at least six cases of staph in the past three years, asked him to conceal his illness. He also vented at Savage for not checking on him while he was in the hospital, said he felt the Browns were treating him like a “piece of meat,” and said he considered requesting a trade.
Savage shot back with a 352-word statement on Tuesday, suspending Winslow and calling his comments and behavior “unwarranted, inappropriate, and unnecessarily disparaging to our organization.
“His statements brought unjustified negative attention to our organization, and violated the team-first concept of our football squad,” said Savage, who had not suspended a player since taking over the Browns in 2005.
Winslow will miss Sunday’s game at Jacksonville and it will cost him $235,294 — his one-game paycheck. He will not be allowed to practice or attend meetings at the team’s facility this week and cannot return until Monday.
Notes
BENGALS: Linebacker Keith Rivers was placed on injured reserve a day after the Cincinnati Bengals rookie had surgery to set his broken jaw. The Bengals also waived kicker Dave Rayner, who played the past two games while Shayne Graham recovered from a strained groin, and signed guard Andrew Crummey from Washington’s practice squad. Rivers broke his jaw when Steelers receiver Hines Ward blocked him with a hit during Pittsburgh’s 38-10 victory on Sunday.
CHIEFS: Coach Herm Edwards hinted that Kansas City running back Larry Johnson, under NFL investigation for allegedly assaulting a woman, could be benched for a second straight game regardless of what the league decides. Johnson, a two-time Pro Bowler who rushed for more than 1,700 yards in both 2005 and 2006, was not activated last week as punishment for violating team rules. Since then, it’s become known that a young woman alleges that Johnson spat on her several times during an argument at a local nightspot this month.
SAINTS: Reggie Bush had surgery on his left knee and it’s unclear when the New Orleans running back will be back with the team. Bush, injured on a punt return in the first half of Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the Carolina Panthers, had the operation Monday in Birmingham, Ala., Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said. He gave no other details. Instead of accompanying his teammates on the trip to London to face the San Diego Chargers on Sunday at Wembley Stadium, Bush instead visited Dr. James Andrews.
STEELERS: Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu has not been ruled out of Sunday’s key game against the New York Giants despite sustaining the seventh concussion of his career last weekend. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Polamalu received a concussion while tackling Bengals running back Cedric Benson on Sunday, the same play on which cornerback Bryant McFadden broke his right forearm. McFadden is expected to be out at least a month. Polamalu had at least three concussions while at Southern Cal — each during practices or scrimmages — and two while playing high school ball in Oregon.
VICK: Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick plans to plead guilty to state dogfighting charges, a step that could allow him to qualify for an early release from federal prison and into a halfway house, court papers show. In a motion filed Oct. 15 in Surry County Circuit Court, Vick’s attorneys asked to have him enter his plea by video teleconference. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for Oct. 30.
