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Tuesday night, Mychal Kendricks was painted as a leader for his peers on defense, providing a scouting report on Hard Knocks before the Browns’ third preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Less than 24 hours later, he’s been released.
In case you missed it, the news broke early Wednesday that Kendricks was involved in an insider trading investigation. Without rehashing the whole story, Cleveland felt it was best to act swiftly and put the distraction behind him, despite how much of an asset Kendricks was set to become as a fourth linebacker. Per Lane Adkins of The OBR, things just didn’t add up with Kendricks:
They didn't want to release Kendricks, but felt there was no option......What was presented to the Browns prior to signing the player didn't jive with what is occurring
— LA's "Straight Talk" Burner Account (@TheRealLA__) August 30, 2018
Well, there’s always the option of trading for Khalil Mack, right?
The Browns will no doubt look to add another piece to the linebacker room to take pressure off of Jamie Collins, Christian Kirksey, and Joe Schobert. Genard Avery could have been that guy, but is out indefinitely with an injury.
Official Statement from Browns GM John Dorsey
Prior to signing Mychal, we were informed that there was a financial situation that he had been involved with in 2014. We were told Mychal had fully cooperated with investigators as a victim. From what was communicated at that time and based on the numerous questions we asked and further due diligence on our part, including checking with the league office, there was no information discovered that conveyed otherwise.
Recently, we were provided an update on the matter and the circumstances have changed. We are now dealing with a different set of facts and the additional information we’ve gathered has led us to the decision to release Mychal from our team. Due to the ongoing legal nature of this situation, we will have no further comments.