UPDATE (11:13 AM): Michael Hall was officially arrested by Avon Police Tuesday morning.
UPDATE (12:07 PM): Per Scott Petrak of BrownsZone.com, the allegations against Hall are disturbing.
“The mother of Hall’s fiancée called 911 and said Hall had pushed her daughter and struck her with a baby bottle. Hall and the woman have an 11-month-old together.
The victim said in the report there were kids in the house.
The police found damage in the house indicative of a fight, the report stated, and two handguns, a .40-caliber Glock and a 9mm Smith & Wesson.”
As a point of clarification, the report indicates Hall pushed his fiancée, not their 11-month child.
Our original story is below.
Cleveland Browns rookie defensive tackle Michael Hall, the team’s top selection of the 2024 NFL Draft, will soon be arrested following a domestic dispute, according to multiple reports. The Athletic’s Zac Jackson was the first to report the news Tuesday morning. The incident reportedly occurred Monday night.
The Browns released a statement acknowledging the incident but providing no further comment. As of this writing, there are no details on the dispute or what Hall is accused of that would lead to his arrest.
Hall was taken with the 54th selection of this year’s draft, the team’s top choice after going another year without a first-round pick sent away in the trade for QB Deshaun Watson. A local product from Ohio State, Hall was light on production but big on talent. In three years with the Buckeyes, he recorded only 45 tackles (10 for a loss) with six sacks, including just 1.5 of in 2023.
In a site scouting report, our Ross McCorkle noted Hall’s positive athletic profile and hot motor, though questioned his NFL fit as a possible tweener. He concluded:
“His arm over pops on tape, but he needs to develop more moves to change things up and counter when his move fails. Fortunately, he is 20 years old and still has plenty of room to develop and add to his physique. He has a very similar body type and some of the same strengths and weaknesses to Adetomiwa Adebawore in last year’s draft class, though he won’t test quite as well.”
With his pending arrest and depending on how the charges unfold, Hall could be subject to an NFL suspension. The league’s default policy for domestic violence is six games, though games can be added or subtracted on a case-by-case basis. Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cam Sutton is suspended for the first eight games of 2024 for his domestic battery charges earlier this year. However, the NFL may let Hall’s legal side play out over the coming weeks and months before handing down punishment.
The Browns are deep along the interior d-line with Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst, Quinton Jefferson, and run stuffer Siaki Ika. That cushions the impact of potentially losing Harris during the year, though it certainly isn’t a good look for a player who is the face of their draft class.
