CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns are in no rush to sign Quinshon Judkins to his rookie contract or get him to camp on time as they continue to gather information on his legal matter.
Furthermore, they’ve stressed to Judkins and his agent, Todd France, that Judkins must make his domestic incident the high priority over football.
Arrested Saturday morning and charged with misdemeanor battery and domestic violence against his girlfriend, Judkins is due to report to Browns training camp on Friday along with the rest of the rookies and quarterbacks. The rest of the veterans report on July 22, and the first practice is the next day.
But the Browns are taking their time investigating what transpired between Judkins, 21, and his then-girlfriend, before they turn their attention to getting him signed and on the football field. The woman told Fort Lauderdale police that he punched her in the mouth/chin area with a closed fist, and that she was still in pain with visible bruises five days later when she reported the incident.
She said she waited to call police because Judkins was a “high profile” male and she was concerned about hurting his career, the police report said. As heard on the non-emergency call provided by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, the woman said “I thought that we could work through it and obviously we couldn’t. So I’m trying to do the right thing now.”
According to the police report, Judkins — 6-0, 221 and a weightroom warrior who squats 600 pounds — also punched her in the left arm and leg after she moved to the backseat of the rental car.
“I am still in pain and I have a lot more of my story to tell,” she told the 9-1-1 operator on Saturday morning. “I still have visible bruises and evidence on my body of the event.” She also produced photos.
The Browns are prepared to be without Judkins for as long as it takes to get both sides of the story, and he won’t be in camp until he signs his standard four-year rookie contract -- if ever. The No. 36 overall pick out of Ohio State, Judkins is the only one of the Browns’ seven draft picks who remains unsigned.
He’s also one of 30 second-round picks who have yet to sign their deals, with most or all of them holding out for the fully-guaranteed contract that the other two received in Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger, the No. 33 overall pick, and Texans receiver Jayden Higgins, the No. 34 pick.
Schwesinger signed a four-year deal worth $11.8 million, including a $5.222 million signing bonus, and Higgins signed a four-year deal worth $11.7 million, including a $5.149 million bonus.
Judkins is due to make $11.389 million, with a signing bonus close to $5 million. But all of that is on hold as the Browns and the NFL conduct their investigations into the domestic violence charge. As it stands, the Browns have only said through a spokesman that they’re gathering more information, and haven’t given any indication that they’d part ways with Judkins.
The league’s domestic violence cases are handled by Lisa Friel, NFL Special Counsel for Investigations, who addressed the Browns in minicamp last month on the vitally important topic. Friel also led the investigation into sexual misconduct accusations against Deshaun Watson by more than 24 massage therapists during appointments. It resulted in an 11-game suspension for Watson and a $5 million fine. He was also ordered to undergo an extensive treatment program.
Despite the Browns’ efforts to educate their players on such matters, Judkins is the third Browns players to be charged with domestic violence since last summer, and the second straight second-round pick out of Ohio State. In August, rookie defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct stemming from an incident with his fianceé. He was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List — paid leave — during the league’s investigation, and was ultimately suspended for five games.
The second was linebacker Devin Bush, 26, who was arrested May 5 in Bell Acres Borough, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh, on charges of misdemeanor assault and harassment involving his girlfriend. He has a formal arraignment Friday in Aleppo Township District Court, and faces NFL discipline regardless of the outcome. While the legal proceedings played out, Bush participated in the Browns’ offseason program and mandatory minicamp. He was an important part of the linebacker corps last season, easing the loss of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to a season-ending and career-threatening neck injury Oct. 27 against the Ravens. Bush started 10 games, making 76 tackles, including 45 solo and eight for a loss.
It remains to be seen how the Browns will proceed with Judkins. Last year, they permitted Hall to practice for the final two weeks of training camp until the NFL placed him on the Exempt List on roster cutdown day. While on leave, he was able to attend meetings and workouts, but not practice or play. He returned to a prominent role in the defensive tackle rotation when he was reinstated in October, and expressed remorse over the incident. He was also ordered by the NFL to undergo counseling.
Judkins was drafted to replace four-time Pro Bowler Nick Chubb and help revive the Browns 29th-ranked running game. The Browns also drafted running back Dylan Sampson in the fourth round, but he’s more of a third-down back than a three-down workhorse.
The Browns also have 2024 leading rusher Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr., and Ahmani Marshall, an undrafted rookie out of Appalachian State. After drafting the two backs, the Browns let Chubb walk in free agency, where he signed a one-year deal with the Texans worth $2.5 million.
Now, they’ll likely be without Judkins for at least part of the season depending on what the NFL decides. A six-game suspension is the standard for a first violation, but that can be adjusted up or down depending on the circumstances.
The Browns must also decide if they want Judkins on the team if they determine he really did repeatedly punch his then-girlfriend.
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