Browns Perrion Winfrey Faces Assault Charge in Texas, Allegedly Caused Woman Bodily Harm
Defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, who has been immature and unprofessional since the moment he arrived in Cleveland, now faces an assault charge. Per Fox 26 in Houston, Winfrey was arrested on Monday for allegedly causing bodily harm to a woman he was dating.
According to the information available, the woman, Brianna Mack, alleges that Winfrey knowingly and intentionally injured by pulling her with his hand. The crime would be a misdemeanor.
The incident, if true, is troubling enough on its face. The larger problem for Winfrey is he has done nothing to shake the concerns teams had with him coming out of Oklahoma in the NFL Draft. Tabbed as immature, teammates wanted the coaching staff to send a message to Winfrey for showing up late to meetings and practice.
Later in the year, Winfrey actually suffered a concussion while riding a scooter. He doesn't warrant much credibility in this situation.
The Browns organization has been consistently looking for help at the three-technique defensive tackle position this offseason. This news only increases the urgency to continue, perhaps adding more help than they thought they might need.
The NFL Draft is a little over two weeks away and the Browns might have already been inclined to target help at that position in addition to looking at free agent options. Even if the Browns don't outright cut him as a result of this incident if proven, they have plenty of reason to believe they cannot count on Winfrey. Should he remain on the team, he will be in for a fight of his life to stay on the roster.
The hiring of Jim Schwartz at defensive coordinator represented potentially a great opportunity for Winfrey to flourish on the field. Schwartz's scheme, one that could maximize defensive line talent, might have been a great fit for the second-year defensive tackle, but if he can't get out of his own way, he's never going to get the chance.
To this point, the Browns have stated they are aware of the situation and are gathering more information.