Mary Kay Cabot
cleveland.com
(TNS)
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Lonnie Phelps found out the hard way that young backup players trying to make the Browns’ roster have very little margin for error.
Fortunately for Phelps, a first-year defensive end out of Kansas, no one got hurt in the process — or worse.
The Browns on Thursday waived Phelps, who was arrested Wednesday night and charged with drunken driving and damaging property after crashing his SUV into the Red Shoe Island Bistro, a high end restaurant in Key West, Florida.
According to the police report, he refused a breath test and wouldn’t cooperate with officers.
Body cam footage of Cleveland browns Lonnie Phelps has been released
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) June 20, 2024
He was arrested for dui after crashing his car into a restaurant pic.twitter.com/iykzi0gVFu https://t.co/OeYcQYJi5K
The incident robs Phelps, 23, of a chance to make the roster out of training camp, which begins next month at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. He was signed by the Browns last year as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas, and spent the season on the practice squad. Born in Cincinnati, he began his college career at Miami (Ohio) University before transferring to Kansas.
His departure also opens up a roster spot for another player to try to make a playoff-contending team.
The Browns always send their players forth after mandatory minicamp with a clear mandate to stay out of trouble and continue to prepare for the season. They might give the benefit of the doubt to one of their star players, but certainly not to a young player who’s never touched the field and is a longshot to make the final roster.
Phelps was competing at a loaded position featuring Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire. If anything, he likely would’ve been signed back to the practice squad unless someone picked him up after roster cuts.
For now, the Browns are on a mission to get to the Super Bowl this season, and won’t tolerate this type of behavior.
The owner of building, Joseph Schroeder, estimated the damage at $300,000 and told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that several people could’ve been seriously injured or killed had an outdoor lounge been open. He said the driver drove over a sidewalk and missed a palm tree before crashing the front end of the SUV, a 2024 Hyundai, into the restaurant shortly before 8 p.m. The report said he and a female passenger appeared under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
“I asked Phelps where he was driving from (before the crash), and he said, ‘Right in front of it.’ I re-asked the question four times in different ways, and Phelps always said, ‘Right in front of it,’” according to the police report.
Phelps, under contract for $795,000 this season, also asked an officer what he had crashed into.
It’s a cautionary tale for other Browns players, especially the young hopefuls, as they navigate the time off between minicamp and July 22, their reporting date for training camp.
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