Browns officials reportedly knew Kendricks' situation before signing him this offseasonGETTY IMAGES
The Browns released LB Mychal Kendricks yesterday after he admitted to insider trading, and the team "could end up facing a grievance" from the NFLPA for doing so, as "something stinks about the decision" to abruptly cut him, according to Mike Florio of PRO FOOTBALL TALK. The Browns "knew what was going on" with Kendricks before they signed him this offseason, or, "at a minimum, they should have known." The bottom line is that the Browns "signed Kendricks without figuring out the truth." Making the decision "even more awkward is the fact that it came from a team" owned by Jimmy Haslam, whose Pilot Flying J truck-stop chain "engaged in massive customer fraud, with no NFL consequence of any kind" to Haslam. Moreover, the termination of Kendricks also comes "only three months after the league looked the other way on the settlement of a civil fraud case arising from allegations" that Giants QB Eli Manning "engaged in fraud in connection with the sale of NFL memorabilia" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 8/29). SI.com's Michael McCann noted the standard NFL player contract "contains several clauses that empowered the Browns to lawfully end their relationship with Kendricks." The NFL could also "rely on the combination of serious felony charges" and Kendricks’ admission "to suspend Kendricks." But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "might wish to wait to see" how Kendricks’ legal situation "develops before suspending him." At the same time, Goodell "might worry about the optics of permitting the continued eligibility of a player who just admitted to insider trading" (SI.com, 8/29). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Florio noted there is also a "practical problem in this specific case," as the league's Commissioner Exempt List "applies to crimes of violence, not financial crimes" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 8/29).
