The Cleveland Browns have released safety Jermaine Whitehead following a social media tirade in which he attacked fans and used racial slurs, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Whitehead's meltdown came after the Browns' 24-19 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
The 26-year-old struggled during the defeat, failing to make a couple of tackles on a pair of big Broncos plays, including a 75-yard touchdown to tight end Noah Fant.
Fans and media members took to Twitter to criticize the defensive back's play, which led to a profanity-laced rant from Whitehead that resulted in him getting his account suspended.
“Jermaine Whitehead's social media posts following today's game were totally unacceptable and highly inappropriate,” a Browns spokesperson said, per Jake Trotter of ESPN. “We immediately spoke with Jermaine upon learning of these comments. The Browns in no way condone that type of language or behavior. This matter will be further addressed internally.”
In eight starts for Cleveland this season, Whitehead logged 41 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble.
Whitehead, who played his collegiate football at Auburn, went undrafted but eventually landed with the Green Bay Packers in 2016, where he saw his first NFL action.
He spent the first two-and-a-half years of his career with the Packers, primarily in a reserve role, before being waived in November 2018. He then joined the Browns.
Cleveland was expected by many to be a legitimate contender in the AFC this season thanks to a busy offseason, but instead, the Browns are just 2-6 and are falling further and further out of playoff contention each week.
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