It took a video to finally sack Perrion Winfrey’s short-lived career with the Browns
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Perrion Winfrey had at least four known incidents of immaturity or inappropriate behavior in a little more than a year with the Browns.
The fifth one resulted in his ouster. What was different about No. 5? A video captured it.
A few hours after an alleged female victim of assault posted a video of an exchange with Winfrey on an Instagram story, the Browns issued a terse statement.
“The Cleveland Browns have waived DT Perrion Winfrey,” said the Browns statement.
“Winfrey appeared in 13 games as a rookie last season and recorded 22 tackles and half of a sack.”
Perrion Winfrey didn't last for a second season with the Browns.
Winfrey has not been charged, but was identified by Cleveland Police as a suspect in an aggravated robbery incident outside The 9 at E. 9th Street and Euclid Avenue on Tuesday.
According to the police report obtained by TheLandOnDemand.com, two females recognized Winfrey in the lobby of the apartment complex and shouted out his name. When he didn’t respond, one called him a derogatory name. Winfrey became upset and when they exited to the street, Winfrey quickly approached them. One of the females used a cell phone to record and another held a phone.
As Winfrey struggled to grab the phones, he is heard on the Instagram video saying, “I’ll smack the s*** outta you” and “you know I got it on me.” The police report says Winfrey struck the left side of one of the female’s neck, grabbed the phones and pulled up his shirt to reveal a handgun on his waistband. The report said the victim had a red abrasion on the left side of her neck.
The females left in a car and called police. When police interviewed the females, Winfrey phoned one of them and police took the phone and asked Winfrey to return to the scene with the phones he took. He refused, but he left the phones on a crate in a nearby alley. They were retrieved by police.
In April, Winfrey was arrested in Texas for grabbing a woman he was dating and causing “bodily harm.” A misdemeanor assault charge was dropped when Winfrey completed a pretrial diversion program.
In June, Winfrey was robbed at gunpoint outside a downtown club around 3:30 a.m. while with teammate Greg Newsome. Newsome was inside the club at the time and the suspects stole Newsome’s vehicle.
As a rookie in 2022, Winfrey was suspended by coach Kevin Stefanski for the second game of the season for undisclosed disciplinary reasons and then was inactive for the next three games. Winfrey also suffered a concussion and missed a game in November because of what he said was a scooter accident. Cleveland.com reported that Winfrey actually had lost control of his car driving in snow.
A fourth-round pick from Oklahoma, Winfrey is only the third of 24 draft picks of GM Andrew Berry prior to 2023 who have been waived. One of them, center Dawson Deaton, returned to the roster after he was waived/injured earlier in July and went unclaimed.
Winfrey’s pass-rush ability as a defensive tackle intrigued new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. But the video of his latest incident was impossible to overlook.
“It was time,” said a source.
The Browns stocked up with five new defensive tackles in the transaction season -- notably free agents Dalvin Tomlinson and Maurice Hurst, and third-round draft pick Siaki Ika. It’s not certain that Berry would bring in another tackle or use Winfrey’s roster spot on another position.
Celebration of Jim Brown set
The Browns and the NFL will commemorate the life and legacy of Cleveland Browns legend Jim Brown at an event on August 3 at 1 p.m. in Umstattd Hall in Canton. The Browns will kick off the NFL preseason later that night against the New York Jets in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
The tribute is a joint production of the Browns, NFL, Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Brown family. Jim Brown, who passed away on May 18, requested no funeral service, but Monique Brown always intended to host an event to celebrate her husband’s life.
The program will include rare film footage of Brown, tributes from Hall of Famers and Browns alums, and other speakers.
The event is invitation-only and will be streamed on the Browns Website.
The Browns are expecting to have multiple celebrations to commemorate Brown throughout the 2023 season but have not yet finalized all their plans. Brown is arguably the greatest running back in NFL history and the most famous alum of the Browns. His impact on the game and social justice issues continued through his entire life after early retirement in 1966.
