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CLEVELAND -- Former NFL defensive end Chris Smith, who was touched by tragedy while he played for the Cleveland Browns, has died. He was 31. Smith's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and the Browns confirmed his passing on Tuesday. The cause of death was not immediately known. “Rest in Peace Chris,” Rosenhaus wrote on Twitter. “Condolences to all his family, friends and loved ones. We will miss you.” Smith played for the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons this season. He previously spent eight seasons in the NFL with Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Houston. While Smith was with the Browns in 2019,...

Watson will be suspended 11 games. He’ll pay a fine of $5 million.The draft press release also mentions mandatory evaluation and another $2 million from the NFL and the Browns that will be given to relevant non-profit organizations that work to minimize and prevent sexual misconduct and assault. He’ll be eligible to return on November 28.

The decision of the Browns to trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson elicited mixed reactions from the team’s fans. Some loved it, off-field issues notwithstanding. Some hated it, given the off-field issues. There was no sign of negativity on Saturday, for the first public practice of training camp. As explained by Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Watson received an “enthusiastic reception” from fans who attended the session.

Another woman has filed a civil lawsuit against Deshaun Watson, raising the number of women who have accused the Cleveland Browns quarterback of inappropriate sexual conduct during massage sessions to 24. The lawsuit says the plaintiff massaged Watson twice. The first session, the lawsuit says, was cut short because "Watson had to leave abruptly after taking a phone call." The lawsuit says Watson scheduled a second massage a few days later, when the woman says that Watson exposed himself and masturbated and "offered no apology or explanation for his conduct." The lawsuit says the plaintiff "shortly thereafter quit massage therapy."...

An NFL player is in the middle of one of the largest controversies the league has ever seen, and the silence from key figures has never been more noticeable. New allegations against Deshaun Watson are coming in, and a lawsuit against the quarterback has now expanded to include the Houston Texans, but you’d never know anything was happening if you only paid attention to the NFL directly or the Cleveland Browns. On May 24, commissioner Roger Goodell said the league’s investigation into Watson was winding down. As recently as last week it was reported that the league had completed its...

According to the report, the plaintiff changed her mind about filing the civil suit after watching the HBO “Real Sports” segment in which two of Watson’s accusers, Ashley Solis and Kyla Hayes, came forward and spoke with Soledad O’Brien about the alleged incidents. The two massage therapists talked about their alleged experiences with Watson in detail, with Solis saying Watson deliberately grabbed himself and “put his penis on my hand,” while Hayes said Watson kept intentionally touching her with his penis as she was trying to massage him. Meanwhile, Watson, who won’t face criminal charges after a grand jury in...

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns quarterback Case Keenum has tested positive for COVID-19, potentially leaving the team without its top two quarterbacks for Saturday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Kimberley Martin. Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield already tested positive for the virus earlier this week and remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Nick Mullens, who was just added to the active roster Thursday, is now in line to start at quarterback for the Browns. Mullens started 16 games for the San Francisco 49ers from 2018 to '20, but has yet to throw a pass for...

It all seems par for the course for Cleveland. Baker Mayfield bounced back from a rough first week to lead the Cleveland Browns over the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals, 35-30, on Thursday night. And approximately 6,000 fans were fortunate enough to watch in person when Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced earlier this month that 6,000 could attend despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The Browns (1-1) prepared fans with a detailed video on their website that delved into social distancing and safety protocols for FirstEnergy Stadium. Everyone attending had to sign a “health promise” and had specific entry times and locations. There...

Baker Mayfield planned to make a stand. Instead, he’ll stand. After watching the Chiefs and Texans receive backlash from the Kansas City crowd for their “show of unity” prior to Thursday’s game, Mayfield has decided he will stand for the national anthem before Sunday’s game against the Ravens after the Browns quarterback previously said he would “absolutely” kneel during the song. Mayfield is a member of the team’s 11-player social justice committee. “After reading many letters and messages… I have been showed [sic] that a gesture such as kneeling will only create more division or discussion about the gesture, rather...

They came together on Independence Day with a message: “Until Black lives are free, none of us are free.” And another, just as important: “Say her name.” Hundreds of people gathered on the Fourth of July to recognize the Black and brown women who have been victims of police violence in Boston and beyond, and to continue the calls for justice and equality that have grown across the nation since the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Cleveland's mayor left a sour taste in the mouth's of many locals who tuned in to a discussion he had about the city ... referring to The Land as "The World's Butthole." Mayor Frank Jackson was talking about his fair city and its charms on Wednesday -- but during the Facebook chat, he said yes, he's aware that many perceive Cleveland as Earth's anus ... so to speak. He very quickly made it clear, though, that HE doesn't actually believe that to be the case. Check it out ... Frank says perception isn't always reality, and if you closely examine...

A group of NFL players from across the league have gathered for a 70-second video demanding that the NFL deliver a clear message about racial injustice in the wake of the death of George Floyd.The video starts with Saints receiver Michael Thomas saying, “It’s been 10 days since George Floyd was brutally murdered.”Then comes DeAndre Hopkins to ask, “What will it take?”“For one of us to be murdered by police brutality?” Browns receiver Jarvis Landry adds.“What if I was George Floyd?” Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson asks.“If I was George Floyd,” Giants running back Saquon Barkley also asks.“What if I was...

4:45 PM PT -- TMZ Sports has learned that Greg Robinson was busted with 156.9 pounds of marijuana, according to law enforcement docs. Robinson -- who was also with 26-year-old ex-NFL player Quan Bray -- was stopped around 7:15 PM on Monday evening after a Border Patrol drug-sniffing dog alerted to the rear cargo door of their 2020 Chevy Tahoe. According to the docs, Robinson and Bray were NOT reentering the country from Mexico -- rather they were trying to get from Los Angeles to Louisiana and hit the checkpoint on the way. The agents performed a follow-up search and...

Former Vice President Joe Biden brushed off lackluster early returns in the New Hampshire presidential primary on Tuesday, saying that it was time to look at more diverse states such as Nevada and South Carolina for guidance in the Democratic nominating contest. “It is important that Iowa and Nevada have spoken, but, look, we need to hear from Nevada and South Carolina and Super Tuesday and beyond,” Biden told a crowd of supporters at a rally in Columbia, S.C. Biden’s speech came as votes in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary were still being counted. He left the Granite State earlier on...

The Pittsburgh Steelers will start Devlin Hodges, who made waves earlier this season with his outspoken support of President Trump, at quarterback Sunday as they take on the Cleveland Browns, more than two weeks after a helmet-swinging melee that shook the NFL, coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. While Hodges may have been ecstatic about getting the start, he quickly became the target of social media trolls who resurfaced his past tweets – mostly about President Trump. The Samford product was caught deleting the tweets about Trump, but Twitter users saved the receipts.

The NFL "found no such evidence" that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph directed a racial slur at Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett just prior to last week's brawl, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said Thursday. Garrett made the allegation during an appeal hearing with the NFL on Wednesday, sources told ESPN's Josina Anderson and Adam Schefter. Rudolph has strongly denied it. "Mason vehemently denies the report of being accused of using a racial slur during the incident Thursday night in Cleveland," Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said in a statement. "He will not discuss this accusation any further and his focus...

Shortly after the Browns lost to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Cleveland safety Jermaine Whitehead went on a profane Twitter rant that included racist language and death threats. The tweets were targeted at Twitter users critical of his and the Browns’ performance with one aimed at Browns TV and radio broadcaster Dustin Fox after Fox tweeted that “Whitehead’s tackling today is a joke.” Whitehead responded with a slur and a warning to Fox not to “get smoked.” Fox wasn’t the only Twitter user in Whitehead’s sights. He responded to several other critics with tweets that included a death threat, a...

Shortly after the Browns lost to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Cleveland safety Jermaine Whitehead went on a profane Twitter rant that included racist language and death threats. The tweets were targeted at Twitter users critical of his and the Browns’ performance with one aimed at Browns TV and radio broadcaster Dustin Fox after Fox tweeted that “Whitehead’s tackling today is a joke.” Whitehead responded with a slur and a warning to Fox not to “get smoked.” Whitehead’s tweets Warning: The screenshots posted below contain graphic language

No college football fan will forget Baker Mayfield leading Oklahoma to a win at Ohio State, then planting an OU flag on the Buckeyes’ field. Nick Bosa surely hasn’t forgotten. Bosa was a star at Ohio State. He was the second overall pick of the NFL draft this year by the San Francisco 49ers. And he was fantastic against the Browns and Mayfield on Monday night, when the Niners blew out the Browns, 31-3. Late in the second quarter, Bosa pressured Mayfield again, hit him and forced an incompletion. Bosa got up and did a celebration that Ohio State fans...

Former NFL star Kellen Winslow Jr., 35, was convicted on Monday of raping a 58-year-old homeless woman in Encinitas last May by a jury in Southern California. Winslow was also found guilty of indecent exposure toward the woman and of lewd conduct. But the jury remained deadlocked on six other felony charges, including two more counts of rape involving a 54-year-old hitchhiker last year and an unconscious 17-year-old girl in 2003.