Depending on whom you ask–and the top of the Cleveland Browns org chart has folks in both of these camps–quarterback Brendan Sorsby has either committed an especially heinous act that puts him at start of a slippery slope no one wants to get near, or he is a young man who, in the throes of an addiction, made some profoundly bad choices but should be allowed a fresh start.
Which perspective the Browns have on Sorsby does not matter much here in June. Sorsby was found to have made hundreds of bets during his collegiate football career, which has taken him from Indiana to Cincinnati and now to a transfer to Texas Tech, where he will get an NIL deal reported to be worth more than $5 million. He was banned for the season by the NCAA before that banishment was overturned by a court in Lubbock last week, clearing the way for Sorsby to play for the Red Raiders.
But which perspective the Browns have in 10 months, when the NFL draft rolls back around, could be critical.
Browns Need a Quarterback
We know the basics. The Browns have Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders battling for the QB1 job this offseason, and whoever wins will need to play very well to change the Browns’ view that they will need to add a quarterback in 2027. That could be through free agency, but much more likely is that Cleveland will bring in a quarterback through the draft.
And Sorsby, a dual-threat star, is a potential first-round pick. Browns GM Andrew Berry was asked about him on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland recently.
Berry began: “I think there are two things, there I ask two questions because everybody who is on this call or listening to this show, I am sure everyone has made mistakes. I really ask two questions: No. 1, is this a bad person or did they make a bad decision? And then the second piece is, OK, 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 and is this an isolated incident?”
Browns GM Andrew Berry: Brendan Sorsby Deserves ‘Grace’
But Berry continued and in doing so, indicated the Browns would be open to bringing Sorsby in, if he had shown he was maintaining the solution in his addiction.
Said Berry: “Because the reality of it is, we’re all gonna 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 is a great first step to get the help that he needs. But then, it’s like, what is around him, what is he doing to make sure he can maintain healthy habits from there. …
“I think probably within society, so to speak, we could all stand to use a little bit more grace.”
Todd Monken Wary of Brendan Sorsby Gambling
Now, that was somewhat of a different response than Browns coach Todd Monken gave back on June 1 when he was asked about Sorsby. Monken seemed to think that Sorsby’s past was a bridge too far in terms of trusting him int the future.
But Monken also made clear, it would be Berry’s call if it came up.
Said Monken: “I think that’s a slippery slope when you go down that, irrespective of talent, right? In terms of the situation he’s himself in, we all know what that is. He put himself in that situation. And we’ve seen in other sports with players that have been banned for life from playing in professional sports. I think that’s a slippery slope to go down that road.
“Again, that’s a question for Andrew and for management. But from my end of it, kind of a tough angle to go down that road and think that’s going to be your franchise quarterback.”
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