There are few players that are worthy of the attention even though they are no longer a member of a Cleveland franchise, but it is pretty fair to say that Kellen Winslow Jr. fits this bill. The latest news regarding the former Browns tight end actually refers back to his time with the team and the he said-she said business that went down late last season.
If you recall, there were initial reports about Winslow’s “injury” status involving some enlarged testicles. Soon thereafter, rumors swirled that Winslow actually had an STD that caused him to miss practice time. It turns out that while we had originally thought that neither of these were true, a recent interview with ESPN The Magazine clears some of this up.
Just a forewarning, it isn’t for those with weak stomachs.
Winslow told ESPN’s Seth Wickersham that he had to have fluid drained from his testicles to play in an Oct. 19 game at Washington.
Winslow told Wickersham that he woke up one October morning sore in the groin area, but figured the problem would go away. Winslow said by the next morning “my testicles were enlarged, to the point where it hurt to walk.”
Wickersham quoted Winslow as saying, “They had to drain it. They had a scalpel. They cut into it. I had to clean it every day with a Q-Tip, for two and a half weeks. It was the most painful thing I’ve ever been through.”
Following this barrage of drainings and such, it appeared that Winslow called his own “players only” meeting and reportedly tore them all a new one for not sticking up for him during the rumor phase of this situation. Then, seemingly pointing fingers, the tight end blamed the team’s front office for not coming to his defense in their attempt to hide the fact that he in fact had another bout with staph infection. It was after this series of events that the team decided to suspend Winslow.
When the team was asked why they chose this road, it appears that Winslow was not making many friends among the medical staff. Following his motorcycle accident, trainers claimed that Winslow demanded to be top priority for all treatments, as if “he was their only patient.” In fact, Winslow reportedly got into an “altercation” with a friend last summer that the team did not bring to light as an attempt to keep all PR positive.
Winslow was also not making many friends during his later stages with the team as things apparently got pretty contentious in regard to his contractual status.
With all of this said, I think most fans can agree that the trade that went down a few months back was a win-win for all involved. The Browns were able to collect draft picks, Tampa Bay got an offensive weapon, and Kellen Winslow got paid. And most importantly, he’s no longer making enemies in the Cleveland locker room, and this team can look to rebound from last year’s four-win season.
–
Winslow reveals staph details [Marla Ridnour/Akron Beacon Journal]
(AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Pingback: Who Will Be the Final Cuts for the Browns? | WaitingForNextYear