Isaiah Bond participates in first practice
The Browns officially announced they signed WR Isaiah Bond on Aug. 18, and he practiced for the first time on Tuesday. Bond addressed a sexual assault charge against him that was dropped, as well as his gratitude towards Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry and the Browns for signing him.
"I am very excited to be a Cleveland Brown," Bond said in an opening statement. "I've been playing football since (I was) six, and I know it's a great privilege to play in the NFL and I'm very grateful for that. I know there's going to be questions about the allegations, but my agent and my attorney have advised me not to go into details. Since day one I proclaimed my innocence, and I stand here today in that same way. I'm very excited to get to know my teammates and show the Cleveland Browns community why they made the right decision."
Berry also released a statement with the initial announcement of the signing of Bond:
"We've spent much of the last calendar year getting to know Isaiah as a player and professional and much of the last four months gaining a full understanding of his legal situation. On the legal side, we have done extensive research that includes but is not limited to hearing from both sides of the case and receiving the results of an independently administered polygraph test.
"Before the allegations, we also spent a great deal of time with Isaiah during the draft process on campus, at the Combine and at our facilities. His time at Alabama with Tommy Rees also weighed heavily on our assessment of his ability to operate successfully in a professional environment if brought into our organization. It is these touchpoints and more that gave us the necessary insights to make this decision. With his legal matter resolved through a no bill by a grand jury, Isaiah is focused on learning from this experience while moving forward with his life and career."
Now with the Browns, Bond is working to acclimate himself to his team and learn the playbook. He said during the process he continued to practice, helping him stay well-conditioned.
Bond believes he brings speed and playmaking to the Browns' receiver room, which features receivers like Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman.
"I'm a complete receiver," Bond said. "I know how to run the whole route tree. I'm not just a fast guy. I'm not just catching screens. If you watch the plays, even when I'm not catching the ball, I get open a lot, so I could say I'm a very complete receiver. I'm ready to bring my best to the field."