Crowell takes a wipe at his former team
As Isaiah Crowell rubbed the football upon his backside after his second touchdown run Thursday night, so too did he rub a couple of people on the field the wrong way.
His on-field boss, Jets Coach Todd Bowles, was definitely one of those people.
“That was inexcusable,” Bowles said of Crowell’s act that allowed the Browns better field position on the ensuing kickoff thanks to the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. “We addressed it, and it will never happen again.”
Crowell, the former Browns running back who signed with the Jets as a free agent in the offseason, faced his bottom toward the crowd and rubbed the football up and down it, receiving a 15-yard penalty as the Jets took a 13-0 lead in the second quarter.
Though it would appear Crowell was showing disdain for his former home crowd at First Energy Stadium, when asked about the gesture after Cleveland’s 21-17 victory over the Jets, the running back refuted that notion.
“It was just passion,” Crowell said. “I’ve just got to control myself. I don’t feel like it had anything to do with the stadium I was at. I just feel like it was spur of the moment.”
The running back indicated that, in the heat of the moment, he probably would’ve pulled the maneuver at any NFL stadium.
Crowell’s former signal-caller, Browns Coach Hue Jackson, didn’t see the gesture as it took place. However, his players — including plenty of Crowell’s former teammates — took plenty of notice.
“Yes, they were,” Jackson said, when asked whether his players were motivated after Crowell’s display. “Somebody told me they did not think it was professional.”
Beer for the victors
Cleveland Browns fans in at least 10 bars across Ohio received free beer Thursday night, as the team snapped a 19-game winless streak with a 21-17 victory against the New York Jets.
The beer was locked inside refrigerators that were opened by a master control when the Browns took down the Jets at home for their first victory since December 2016 — a span of 635 days. At least 200 Bud Light cans were in each refrigerator.
“Dilly Dilly to the Cleveland fans,” said quarterback Baker Mayfield, who led the Browns to the comeback victory in his first regular-season game action since being picked first overall in April’s NFL Draft. “It’s not the only win we’re going to celebrate.”
Bud Light vice president Andy Goeler said the company “couldn’t be more thrilled for the Browns and the city of Cleveland.”
Cleveland police warned fans to behave.
“We WON!!! —-Wait….
Oh God. The free beer thing… Ok Cleveland. Stay calm. GO BROWNS!!! @Browns @budlight #CLE,” Cleveland police tweeted after the victory.
To receive the free beer, Browns fans had to be in the bars with the refrigerators before the game ended.
The beer was locked in the refrigerators for a total of 37 days. Bud Light had planned to change out the beer with fresh beer if the Browns’ losing streak continued.
The beer given out Thursday night had an expiration date of Nov. 29.