Browns release DT Perrion Winfrey after he allegedly threatened a woman
The Cleveland Browns have opted to release defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey following another incident involving a female, which is now under investigation.
On Tuesday, a woman posted a video on Instagram alleging that the defender “chased” her and another person out of a Cleveland hotel before he pointed a gun at her and stole her two phones.
The incident follows a dismissed assault case initially pressed against him in Houston earlier in the offseason.
Winfrey had an assault case against him dismissed in June by Harris County prosecutors. He was initially charged in April with misdemeanor assault of a family member after an argument with his girlfriend.
According to court records, the prosecutors dropped the charge on Friday upon the 22-year-old’s completion of a pretrial diversion program. Although he had the case pending, Winfrey has been participating in the Browns’ offseason workouts and OTAs.
The incident resulting in the tackle’s arrest occurred around 7 p.m. in Harris County, Texas. Winfrey and his girlfriend were fighting “over a dog and keys to a rental car,” court documents said, when he allegedly grabbed and pulled her hand, causing “bodily injury.” Bystanders reportedly had to intervene to separate the couple.
The Browns selected Winfrey in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. He appeared in 13 games this past season to finish with 22 tackles (one for loss) and 0.5 sacks. He was on a four-year deal worth $4.47 million.
Winfrey struggles through rookie season
Winfrey’s rookie season didn’t go quite the way he would have liked. Cleveland coaches were reportedly frustrated over “maturity issues” with the young defensive player early in the year. Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett addressed the narrative surrounding Winfrey in a September interview.
“I think we all have to step up and say something, but sometimes silence speaks louder than words,” Garrett said regarding Winfrey, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “We’ve used our voice a couple of times and at the end of the day, he’s got to learn how to be a pro.”
Winfrey was inactive for three straight games last season against the Bengals, Dolphins and Bills. Shortly after being declared inactive for the Bills game on Nov. 20, Winfrey vented about his struggles in a since-deleted tweet.
“I can’t fake it this been one of the worst years of my life … I WONT stop tho,” he wrote.
Winfrey has since tried to move on from those down days. The defensive tackle was considered a draft steal coming out of OU, where he played two seasons and recorded 40 tackles (16.5 for loss), six sacks and a forced fumble.
On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.