Browns release DT Winfrey after robbery incident

Last updated: 2023/07/20 at 12:15 PM

BigP Published July 20, 2023

Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff WriterJul 19, 2023, 12:04 PM ET
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BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns released defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey on Wednesday after police listed him as a suspect in an aggravated robbery incident.

According to the police report, a woman claimed that she and a friend knew Winfrey and had his number in her phone. When she saw him in a hotel lobby, she shouted out his name. When he didn’t respond, she called him a “p—y.” Afterward, Winfrey became upset and followed them outside the hotel. Noting that she became afraid, the woman started recording on her phone. According to the report, Winfrey then went for her phone, saying, “I’ll smack the s— outta you” before striking the left side of her neck. The woman also claimed that during the incident Winfrey pulled up his shirt to show a handgun tucked in his waistband. After Winfrey left with their phones, the women called police.

Winfrey refused to return to the scene despite police requesting him to. He did leave the phones on a crate in an alley for police to retrieve. Police say the phones had “good video” of Winfrey’s actions and “clear audio” of his threats, though video didn’t show the gun. The police report also said the woman had a “red abrasion” on her neck.

The move came just three days before the start of Browns training camp at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

In a separate incident in April, Winfrey was arrested in Harris County, Texas, after being accused of grabbing the hand of a woman he was dating, causing “bodily injury,” according to court records. The case of misdemeanor assault against him was dropped after Winfrey completed a pretrial diversion program, court records showed.

In June, Winfrey and Cleveland cornerback Greg Newsome II were robbed at gunpoint by six masked men outside a club around 3:30 a.m. Neither player was hurt, but the suspects stole Newsome’s truck.

Winfrey was a fourth-round draft selection out of Oklahoma last year. He appeared in 13 games as a rookie, recording 22 tackles. He was suspended for Cleveland’s second game for undisclosed disciplinary reasons.