Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has had no contact with running back Quinshon Judkins amid uncertainty about his future with the team following his arrest.
Judkins was arrested on July 12 and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery in Florida. The charge stems from an incident on July 7, in which he is accused of physically assaulting a woman during an argument that began at the airport and escalated in a rental vehicle.
According to the police report, Judkins allegedly struck the woman in the mouth and chin with a closed fist, then hit her multiple times on the arm and thigh. The woman waited five days before contacting authorities, citing concerns about how the allegations might affect Judkins’ NFL career. She said in the 911 call that she has “a lot more of my story to tell.”
Judkins will likely face a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. However, the league and the Browns have said they’re still gathering information, and Judkins’ legal situation is still unfolding.
Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam spoke to the media on Tuesday and gave a one-word answer when asked if he’s spoken with Judkins.
“No,” Haslam said.
Browns Unsure When Quinshon Judkins Will Join Team
What complicates Judkins’ situation is that he remains the only unsigned rookie in the NFL. Like many other second-round picks, Judkins held out in hopes of securing a fully guaranteed contract.
While all of his peers have come to terms with their teams, Judkins’ off-field issues have clouded his future. Browns general manager Andrew Berry said he’s uncertain when Judkins could be signed.
“In terms of those decisions, signing, being at camp and everything like that, it’s honestly probably too early to make any type of determination. So as we gather information, we’ll have a better view on that,” Berry said at training camp. “Sometimes the information comes a little bit more slowly, but we’re still in probably the information-gathering stage with him.”
Haslam said he’s “cautiously optimistic” that Judkins will eventually play for the Browns.
Off-Field Issues Not New for Browns
The Browns have faced three domestic violence allegations involving players over the past year. Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr., a second-round pick in 2024, was suspended for five games last season. Linebacker Devin Bush, who started 10 games in 2024, was arrested in May for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.
Haslam says there was nothing in those players’ backgrounds that raised a red flag for the front office during the vetting process.
“You know, that’s a question I ask. Okay, let’s go back and let’s look at Quinshon (Judkins), let’s look at Devin (Bush), let’s look at Mike Hall Jr. There was — to the best of my knowledge — nothing in any of their backgrounds that showed anything like this,” Haslam said.
Haslam added the Browns plan to do more to address the off-field issues.
“Well, I think whenever you’re not successful, you got to take a step back and say, ‘What can we do better?’ If you’d asked me a month ago, I would say no. We’re all over it,” Haslam said. “We talk about it continually. We’ve had outside speakers, inside speakers. We talk about it a lot. But clearly, we need to look to see what else we can do. It’s not acceptable.”
