'Something I take very seriously': Browns coach Kevin Stefanski on Quinshon Judkins arrest

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3 days ago

BEREA — Browns coach Kevin Stefanski didn't wait too long to address the recent arrest of second-round pick Quinshon Judkins on the first day of training camp. That response, however, was very limited in scope.
"On the Quinshon Judkins situation, I don't have much to add," Stefanski said before Cleveland's first training camp practice July 23. "These are things that we take very, very, very seriously. We're gathering information. I know you guys will talk to [general manager] Andrew [Berry] tomorrow, but I don't have much to add on that situation."
Berry is scheduled to hold his annual training camp news conference on July 24, prior to the Browns' second camp practice. What awaits are many of the same questions that Stefanski faced regarding the July 12 arrest of Judkins in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on a charge of "touch or strike/battery/domestic violence" after he was alleged to have hit with a closed fist a woman with whom he was traveling on July 7.
Judkins was released on July 13 on a $2,500 bond and awaits the next step of the legal process in Broward County Traffic and Misdemeanor Court. His next court date had not yet been scheduled.
The No. 36 overall pick in April's draft out of Ohio State is the only Browns draft pick who is also unsigned. He can't participate in training camp practices without a signed contract, but is not subjected to fines because of the lack of a contract.
"I would say we're not going to comment much further, other than we're gathering information," Stefanski said when asked if he had been in contact with Judkins.
Judkins was one of two Browns players who was arrested on domestic violence charges during the offseason. Veteran linebacker Devin Bush was arrested on May 4 outside of Pittsburgh on charges of simple assault and harassment.
Bush's case is progressing through the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. He's scheduled to have a pretrial conference on Aug. 15.
Those two arrests come on the heels of last August, when second-round pick Mike Hall Jr. was arrested in Avon on a domestic violence charge. He was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt list on Aug. 28, then served a five-game suspension to open the 2024 season after he pleaded it down to a disorderly conduct charge.
"I would tell you again this is something I take very seriously, we take very seriously," Stefanski said. "It's not something that we want to be a part of. We want to be shining the light on the good things that our guys are doing in this community.
"Having said that, I do know the league mandates a certain amount of education in all areas, certainly in this area, and we decide to go above and beyond that and we will continue to do that. And if there's more ways that we can reach players in any area in area of education, we'll continue to look at that."
Judkins was drafted with the expectation he would eventually become the Browns' No. 1 running back, replacing the departed Nick Chubb. They also selected Dylan Sampson, a running back out of Tennessee, in the fourth round to go with returnees Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong, as well as undrafted rookie Ahmani Marshall.
Stefanski wouldn't address whether the Browns need to go out an add another running back. He did acknowledge Ford would once again be the No. 1 running back to open camp, which is what he had been when Chubb was unavailable because of injuries the last two years.
There's also Sampson, who was the SEC's Offensive Player of the Year in 2024.
"I think Dylan Sampson's done a great job from the moment he's gotten here," Stefanski said. "He's very conscientious, very intelligent, been very impressed with what he can do in a bunch of different facets of the game. We're still going to bring him along based on how he performs. So I think you'll see again over these next four days and then into next week as we put some practices under our belt, we'll be making evaluations on all of our guys."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [e-mail]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns coach Kevin Stefanski addresses Quinshon Judkins arrest