When asked recently about the possibility of adding quarterback Brendan Sorsby in the supplemental draft, Browns head coach Todd Monken was clear on his stance.
He told reporters earlier this month that he didn’t think the Browns should be interested in Sorsby, saying players have been “banned for life” for gambling.
But General Manager Andrew Berry was more measured in an interview last week, which now has more relevance given that Sorsby is set to apply for the supplemental draft after dropping his lawsuit against the NCAA over his collegiate eligibility.
In an interview with Anthony Lima and Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan, Berry was asked how gambling would factor into a player’s evaluation.
“I think there are two things,” Berry said. “There are two questions I ask, because we’re all human and I’d imagine everybody that’s on this call and listening to this show, I’m sure everyone has made mistakes. I really ask two questions: I ask, No. 1, is this a bad person, or did they make a bad decision? And then the second piece is, what are they doing after the fact … to correct the behavior. Is this a pattern of decision-making? And if so, have they done something to stop the pattern? Or is this an isolated incident? Because the reality of it is, we’re all going to screw up. And some, certainly, mistakes are greater in magnitude than others.
“But I think the most important thing in Brendan’s case is what he does from here. Obviously, it’s a great first step to get the help that he needs. But then it’s like, OK, what is around him? What is he doing to make sure that he can maintain healthy habits moving forward? So, it seems like it’s a very good start there. Obviously, I don’t know all the details at this point. But I think, probably, within society, so to speak, we could all use a little bit more grace.”
As a follow-up, Berry was asked how he feels about such character concerns, specifically when thinking about how a quarterback leads and is the proverbial face of the franchise.
“I also think that probably the more important things are the internal leadership — so how does this player prepare? How do they relate to their teammates? Are they coachable to the coaching staff? Are they an anchor when there’s tough moments in the game? Because that’s the stuff that actually makes the biggest impact,” Berry said. “And those are the people, that’s the biggest constituency that the individual has to lead and serve. So, that’s really more the priority than what I would say as maybe the more marketability, [piece of it].
“But you like to have everything. You’d like to have everything, ideally. But very few players fit that, though.”
Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reported on Monday night that the Browns are “unlikely” to bid on Sorsby in the supplemental draft, should he be deemed eligible for it. But with the way the Browns have operated at the QB in recent years, it’s hard to put anything past them at that position.
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