Dorsey’s belief in them comes through his faith.
Highsmith’s is a byproduct of life, and how difficult it can be – especially for kids that grow up in poverty, the inner city or broken homes.
Over the last two years the Browns have drafted Antonio Callaway, traded Josh Gordon to the Patriots, added Mike Priefer as special teams coordinator, signed Kareem Hunt and selected Sione Takitaki in the draft, proving that they’re not afraid to take a chance on a player – or coach – with red flags in their past.
“My faith tells me everybody should have second chances,” Dorsey said earlier this year when asked about Priefer’s addition to Freddie Kitchens’ staff.
Priefer, who has become one of the best special teams coordinators in the NFL, was suspended by the Minnesota Vikings at the start of the 2014 regular season and required to complete sensitivity training following an investigation into an accusation from former punter Chris Kluwe that he used a homophobic slur in 2012.
He’s had a clean slate since.
The decision to sign Hunt in February was not received well, especially with the horrific security video that showed Hunt push, kick and attempt to hit a woman in a hallway outside his apartment at the Metropolitan at The 9 in downtown Cleveland in February 2018 still replaying in people’s minds.
So far, according to Dorsey, Hunt has not given him any reason to regret it.
“I think Kareem has done one heck of a job,” Dorsey said. “He has been working his fanny off in the building. I could not be happier with how hard he is working in the building. I could not be happier with how hard he is working out of the building. That is all you can ask of him. He is committed to doing the proper steps here in getting this thing moving forward.”
After TMZ.com published that video on Nov. 30, 2018 the Chiefs released the 2017 third-round pick that led the NFL in rushing later that season as a rookie, but since Dorsey scouted and drafted Hunt, it was little surprise Hunt got that second chance in Cleveland.
Hunt, who lost the final five games of the 2018 season and the chance to participate in the playoffs, will serve an eight-game suspension and not be eligible to play until Nov. 10 against Buffalo. His dishonesty with Kansas City officials was proven by the video prompting them to not stand by him.
For Highsmith, honesty is always the best policy, no matter how brutal the truth might be.
“I have been doing this 22 years. I have talked to a lot of players. I have seen a lot of good situations and bad situations,” Highsmith said. “I think what you are always looking for is honesty in a player and being forthright with the situation, what happened and why those things happened.
“We all make mistakes. Eighteen-year old kids make mistakes. Nineteen-year old kids make mistakes. Thirty-four-year-old men make mistakes sometimes. One mistake shouldn’t ruin your life, but if there is a pattern of continual mistakes, that becomes a problem.”
Callaway, who had first-round talent but had a long list of off-field transgressions that ultimately led to the talented receiver not playing football in 2017 for Florida and saw him fail a drug test at the 2018 NFL Combine, was selected by Dorsey in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
A traffic stop of Callaway during training camp made headlines because a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge was filed in addition to traffic citations for failure to yield and driving with a suspended license.
Callaway insisted he was innocent.
As it turned out, the license issue was a result of a clerical error, which was resolved, and the marijuana charge was also dismissed.
“I think the thing you want to find out is if guys are forthright and honest about what happens because I think that is the first step to anybody changing their life – that they come forward with what their problem is,” Highsmith said. “If you get a good feel for the kid, you talk to the coaches. If the coaches say he has changed and the kid has changed, that process is the beginning of it.”
Gordon, who received a multitude of chances from the Browns and NFL, never changed. His dishonesty more than his addiction ultimately led to Dorsey trading him.
Takitaki had a list of off-the-field incidents as a freshman and sophomore that resulted in him being kicked out of BYU. He spent 2016 away from football and worked in construction before earning his way back to the university and onto the football team.
Takitaki served as a team captain in 2018.
It’s quite the redemption story for Takitaki, who credits his wife for helping him turn his life around.
“I also think it is a maturation of life. I think in any endeavor you do in life if you are going to be successful, you are going to have to overcome something,” Highsmith said. “Personally, I have always liked those players who have had to overcome something in life, guys who have bumps in the road.”
Life isn’t perfect. Things happen. Dorsey and Highsmith know this all too well which is why they don’t shy away from red flags.
“I am sure we have all had something happen to us in life to make us get to where we are in life,” Highsmith said. “Sometimes it is good. Sometimes some guys everything adds up right for them and their life is perfect. Sometimes some guys it is that snag in the road or that wrong direction that you go that turns them around, makes them better husbands and makes them better people and now they are in the NFL and can go forward with their life and change their fortune for themselves.”
Priefer and Takitaki have taken advantage of their second chances. So far Callaway has too while it is too early to judge the outcome for Hunt.
Second chances don’t mean that Dorsey and Highsmith approve of, endorse or condone previous indiscretions because they often come with a zero-tolerance policy.
As evidenced by moves made over the last 16 months, Dorsey isn’t afraid to put it on the line to give someone a second chance, but the recipients of them know they won’t be given a third.