Welp, there’s a lot of words in one headline I never thought I’d string together. Cleveland Browns linebacker Mychal Kendricks has been charged for inside trading, as announced Wednesday morning by the District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania.
Kendricks took to Twitter to admit wrongdoing, as he says, a mistake made four years ago.
And the Browns have issued their own, brief statement.
He signed a one-year deal with the team on June 5th.
We’re bringing this up for a couple reasons. One, it’s just plain bizarre. Two, it effects an AFC North, and Week One, opponent. And three, Kendricks was on many Steelers fans’ radar while the Philadelphia Eagles were rumored to be willing to trade him and following his release in late May.
Obviously, no one could have ever anticipated this being a storyline, but in hindsight, it’s nice to see the Steelers avoid some big-time drama had they brought him in.
It’s unclear what Kendricks’ future holds. The Browns only mentioned him not playing in the preseason finale against Detroit. According to this ESPN article, he has promised to pay back the $1.2 million he made illegally. He’s slated to make $2.25 million with Cleveland in 2018.
UPDATE (8:44 PM): The Browns have released Kendricks. Given his legal problems, it’s possible his career is over.
