Head coach Freddie Kitchens tried to get away with a generic “we issued a statement and I stand by that statement,” comment before saying after being pressed on the matter.
“We try to educate our players into using social media for their advantage and certainly not their disadvantage as a general rule,” Kitchens said. “That is what we try to educate them on to do, and I think for the most part, we do a good job of that.”
It would behoove the Browns to revisit that training, especially with a team that appears more invested in winning on social media than they do the football field every week.
Whitehead started all 8 games and registered 41 tackles, 2 QB hits, a tackle for loss, forced fumble and 2 passes defensed. He is now unemployed after allowing his anger to get the best of him in making threats on Twitter and Instagram.
“We're going to miss him because that was a guy that played a lot of snaps for us, a guy that was a good teammate in the locker room. I just feel like it was a situation where his emotions got the best of him," safety Morgan Burnett said. “We're going to miss him, but I think for me personally because I played with him in Green Bay, I take it past football and it's just something where I just want to pray for him, wish him the best and get the help that he needs and pray that he gets back on his feet.
"But as a team, just outside of football, just as a bond of brothers, we're going to miss him."
As for Whitehead’s release, Burnett steered clear of any controversy by saying the decision was “above my pay grade” but he did offer a thoughtful reply when asked specifically about Whitehead’s tweets in which the former Browns safety threatened fans and 92.3 The Fan’s Dustin Fox.
“We all have to do a job,” Burnett said. “We all are held accountable and held to a certain standard no matter where we are within the organization. They stand behind the brand and I think that's just part of being a professional. You have to carry yourself a certain way even at times when you feel like your buttons are being pushed, you still have young people, young kids looking up to us and watching everything we say and the way we move.”
Hunt began practicing on Oct. 21 and he is expected to play Sunday against Buffalo.
“I am very much looking forward to Kareem being with us and being able to play,” Kitchens said. “Kareem is a good football player, and he will definitely have a role.”
The Browns could've received a roster exemption this week until they are ready to officially activate him, but the release of Whitehead means he can be activated to the 53 immediately.
“I think Greg responded well to that. He played pretty good [Sunday],” Kitchens said. “He gave up a couple pressures. He was pretty solid in the run game.”
Whether or not Kitchens will begin benching other underperforming players remains to be seen.
Seals-Jones went down after catching a 7-yard pass on a third-and-10 from the Denver 19 with 19 seconds remaining in the first half.
He got his cast removed from his right hand and wrist.
Njoku suffered a broken wrist but elected to not have surgery against the Jets on Sept. 16. He hopes to return from injured reserve when he’s eligible.