Browns cut Jermaine Whitehead after racist Twitter rant that included death threats

Updated

The only question for the Cleveland Browns was why it took until Monday morning to cut safety Jermaine Whitehead after his ugly series of tweets following Sunday’s game.

Cleveland announced early Monday that Whitehead, a fourth-year safety who had started all eight games for the 2-6 Browns, had been waived.

That came after Whitehead went off on Twitter. In one particular message to Browns TV and radio broadcaster Dustin Fox saying, “Whitehead’s tackling today is a joke,” Whitehead responded with a slur and told Fox not to “get smoked.” Whitehead’s Twitter account was suspended.

Jermaine Whitehead goes off after loss

According to Zac Jackson of the Athletic, Whitehead was still in uniform replying to tweets from Fox and others on Twitter who were critical of his play. A member of the Browns’ public relations team separated him from the media in the locker room after the game, and Whitehead did not speak to reporters, Jackson said.

The Browns put out a statement saying Whitehead’s tweets were “totally unacceptable and highly inappropriate” and that the team didn’t condone the language or behavior.

Warning: The screenshots posted below contain graphic language

Whitehead became a starter

The Browns picked up Whitehead last season after the Green Bay Packers waived him. Whitehead joined the Packers in 2016 as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn.

Whitehead was a starter this season but had little impact, with 41 tackles and one interception for the Browns.

The Browns’ season has been very difficult. The team is 2-6 and has fallen far short of expectations. They lost on Sunday to the Denver Broncos and quarterback Brandon Allen, who was making his first career NFL appearance.

The Browns didn’t need Whitehead’s Twitter meltdown on top of everything else.

The Browns cut defensive back Jermaine Whitehead after offensive tweets. (Getty Images)
The Browns cut defensive back Jermaine Whitehead after offensive tweets. (Getty Images)

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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