Pair of Browns cited for drag race
The week just keeps getting worse for the Cleveland Browns.
On the same day the team learned that they will be without head coach Kevin Stefanski for their first playoff game in 18 years due to a positive COVID-19 test, two Browns players were cited for drag racing.
Rookie offensive lineman Jedrick Wills Jr. and wide receiver Rashard Higgins were both cited for first-degree misdemeanor drag racing on Tuesday morning, Cleveland.com is reporting.
“So nobody has ever tried to beat someone off the line at a red light for a max 30 meters?” Wills Jr. wrote on Twitter Tuesday. “Ight.. Blowing it way out of proportion. IK y’all road ragers have.”
The incident took place in Westlake, Ohio, which is approximately 10 miles from the team’s training facility in Berea.
Kevin Spellacy, the attorney for Higgins and Wills Jr., told the NFL Network on Wednesday that the pair will plead not guilty to the charges.
“To me it’s just an upgraded speeding charge,” Spellacy told Cleveland.com. The incident report reviewed by the outlet does not indicate how fast the two players were driving. The report also said a marijuana joint was found in one of the cars, although neither player was charged with possession.
Wills Jr., a rookie tackle out of Alabama, has started 15 games for the Browns while Higgins, 26, started a career high six games in 2020. He finished the regular season with 37 catches for 599 yards and four touchdowns.
It has been nothing but bad news for the Browns (11-5) after the franchise beat the Steelers 24-22 on Sunday to clinch a wildcard berth. It is the first time the Browns are in the playoffs since the 2002 season.
On Tuesday morning, the team announced that Stefanski along with two of his coaches and two players had tested positive for COVID-19. That means that special teams coordinator Mike Priefer will serve as the team’s acting head coach for Sunday night’s rematch against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
The Browns have closed their training facility and are working remotely as the team continues to contact tracing.