Will the Browns Release Mike Hall Junior?

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Browns selected Ohio State star defensive tackle Mike Hall Junior in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft. It was a bit shocking that he was available when the Browns selected him. Although he wasn’t the most polished defensive tackle in the draft, he still could’ve been selected earlier.

Why was Hall available when the Browns selected him? Supposedly, teams around the NFL had concerns about his character. Years after the aftermath of former New England Tight End Aaron Hernandez’s crimes, the NFL teams had no choice but to start thinking about how character concerns impact draft decisions. Hernandez committed two murders, including killing a teammate in an attempt to cover up the first murder. He then committed suicide after being imprisoned.

Although many people will speak of giving second chances, the revelation of how bad Hall might be is not something to ignore. Some of the accusations could very well be fabricated or at the very least, they could be way worse than what really happened. However, the fact that police found two handguns during their investigation was a bad sign right away.

The Browns couldn’t just release him right away. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski told the media that the Browns would let the legal process play out. Hall was injured right after he practiced earlier in the week so he’ll miss some time due to that.

However, pending the results of the investigation, Hall could be released by the Browns. Teams don’t want to be tied to the next Hernandez. The Browns are better off being patient and letting the legal process play out. Stefanski was correct about this. There are examples of men being accused of prior criminal conduct before and it turned out to be nothing. After all, if an actor can be falsely accused of physical abuse, then a football player can fade bogus charges as well. We all can look back to the Johnny Depp situation which looked like his ex-wife Amber Heard was 100 percent correct about him at first. We all know how that turned out.

Although Hall’s fiance could be telling the truth especially since her mother added testimony as well, it’s usually best to avoid jumping to conclusions right away. It’s possible Hall did this but there could be other circumstances we weren’t aware of like the slight possibility of self-defense. That’s probably not likely in this case but the logic is still the same.

The “court of public opinion” can be very persuasive at times especially given the pressure to become one of the majority of people with a certain opinion on the matter. After all, who wants to deal with the stress of social media? If most people are calling Hall guilty right away, it seems beneficial to go with their logic. However, there is always the risk of being wrong at the same time.

The best approach is to do exactly what the Browns are doing. The wisest course of action is to let the legal process play out. The wisest course of action is to let the legal experts with their education, training, and expertise do their jobs to the best of their abilities. While it’s possibly socially acceptable to speculate what happened based on what little information we know, it’s also best not to necessarily label Hall as guilty right now until we know more.

The facts so far cast serious doubts about the kind of person Hall is. However, we don’t know how the legal process will play out. It’s unknown what facts will come out and what the truth will be in the end. However, there is still the fear of the next Aaron Hernandez situation, and every NFL team has to be mindful of that. This has to be front and center of any NFL general manager’s thinking. This is not something an NFL general manager can conveniently forget about.

Hall’s time with the Browns might come to an abrupt end at some point. Hopefully, this information turns out to be false. However, there’s a possibility that Hall did something that caused serious concerns within the Browns organization whether a crime was committed or not. Whatever happened could have consequences regardless of the legal findings. It’s also possible that very little happened and Hall could remain with the Browns. In the meantime, although it’s difficult to ask for patience, it’s best to be as patient as possible with the legal experts handling the situation and with the Browns management.

Hall was arrested in Avon, Ohio. His court date is September 10. If the allegations are true, Hall might not be able to play in the 2024 season. The biggest concern is the safety of others including his fiance and the children. Details of the allegations paint a frightening and disturbing scenario.

The last time the Browns dealt with a situation like this was in 2019. Former Browns Safety Jermaine Whitehead threatened to kill reporter Dustin Fox. The Browns quickly released him after a disturbing tweet. Fox played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills from 2006-2008.

A news report by Cleveland local news television station Channel 19 News provided a visual copy of the police report and an audio clip of the 911 call.