Cleveland Browns: Armonty Bryant indicted on felony drug charges
By Thomas Moore
Cleveland Browns linebacker Armonty Bryant was indicted on felony drug charges stemming from an arrest in December.
Cleveland Browns linebacker Armonty Bryant is facing an indictment on felony drug charges stemming from a traffic stop on a Cleveland-area highway on Christmas morning.
The charges were revealed in an indictment from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, and Bryant is being indicted on two counts of felony drug possession, according to newsnet5.com. De’Ante Saunders, who the Browns released a few days after the incident, is facing an indictment for improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, which is a felony.
Both of their arraignments are scheduled for Feb. 24.
While everyone knew this day was coming, it is still another blow to a Browns team that is trying to shake the “same old Browns” label with their latest rebuilding project.
Bryant and Saunders were originally arrested on Dec. 25 after the car that Saunders was driving was pulled over by Ohio State Highway Patrol officers for reportedly traveling 75 miles per hour in a 60 miles per hour zone.
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According to court documents, marijuana, oxycodone and one other gun were found in the car.
The Browns suspended Bryant for the final two games of the 2015 regular season. He appeared in 14 games for the Browns, making two starts, and finishing second on the team with 5.5 sacks.
He is now a candidate for discipline by the NFL under the league’s personal conduct and substance-abuse policies.
Cleveland selected Bryant in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft even though he had been suspended for three games during his senior year at Eastern Central in Oklahoma after being arrested twice for selling marijuana to an undercover police officer.
The Browns have not released a statement on Bryant’s indictment, but it is fair to wonder if the team will choose to keep Bryant on the roster when the new league year opens on March 9. If the Browns do release him, or the NFL suspends him, it will make the 2013 draft one of the worst in franchise history, which is saying a lot.
That year, under Joe Banner and Michael Lombardi, the Browns selected just five players:
- Linebacker Barkevious Mingo, who is still struggling to find his role on the team.
- Cornerback Leon McFadden, who has appeared in 25 games with three different teams.
- Safety Jamoris Slaughter, who never appeared in a game with the Browns and is now out of the league.
- Bryant, who may be released by the team or suspended by the NFL.
- Guard Garrett Gilkey, who appeared in six games with Cleveland and 16 games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is now out of the league.
Remember that the next time someone tries to tell you about what great talent evaluators Banner and Lombardi allegedly all. It also goes a long way toward explaining why the Browns continue to be in their current state.