Tribe and the Trade Deadline – A History of the Jacobs Field Era – 1994-1999
July 21, 2009The Price Will Be Right For Some Team
July 21, 2009There 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)
24 Comments
i heart k2, i hope he does well
Completely agree. Just not against us. And here’s to less staph, perhaps a Bubba the Love Sponge appearance…
Thanks for putting this up at lunchtime.
Reduced Caloric Intake Ahoy!!!
I was glad we had him as a player (when he was healthy), he was on the verge of becoming a top TE in the NFL. But, I’m really glad he’s not with the team anymore. Too much drama for one player to create.
I must begrudgingly agree with that last part. As much as I wish K2 was still a Brown, the trade does indeed look like a win for all parties. Best of luck in Tampa for one of my favorite players.
I think with the talent like Kellen on this team we’d be looking at a better season than we are now. And Kellen was Brady’s favorite target. Brady likes to throw the short routes and that was Kellen’s job as Tight End.
Somewhat K2 related, in that we need someone to replace his patch catching abilities: Is anyone else as juiced I am about the idea of bringing Matt Jones to town? This morning I saw that Fanhouse article linked here yesterday about him, and I can’t stop thinking about how great it would be to have him to line up across from Bray, especially given that he appears to be putting his personal issues behind him. I think the Browns turn into a legit offensive powerhouse by adding him, and it will help the rookie receivers develop as well.
uh, “pass-catching” abilities. Sorry.
today is K2’s birthday too.
A relative of mine had a staph infection in the scrotum. It was really nasty, and he was in the hospital for a long time. Antibiotics weren’t working, and they had to drain the abscess all the time. He had to take a lot of “sitz baths,” where you just sit for hours in a tub of hot water.
They let him come home from the hospital for Christmas Day. He had just come through the door and sat down gingerly in his easy chair when his dog was so happy to see him that she jumped up into his lap. YEEEOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!
I’m still not buying it that it wasn’t STD related. If you read the original article they talk about his wife being infected or somehow suffering similar symptoms and fears of her becoming infertile. Staph is not transmitted sexually. Perhaps an STD caused weakness in immunity which contributed to the staph infection…but still. I said it before and I’ll say it again: he’s covering up an affair by leveraging the iffy staph conditions surrounding the Browns.
Tampa Bay making Winslow the highest paid TE in NFL history is probably the most ridiculous signing of the NFL offseason, almost as bad as Matthew Stafford getting roughly $43MM guaranteed. Not that DET could afford a holdout, but still.
Kellen Winslow has played in 44 of a possible 80 regulare season games in his NFL career. ‘Nuff said.
Some say Winslow was on the verge of becoming an elite TE in the NFL, and I’d say there was a point where he was one. But after watching him last season, I just don’t see how he’s going to get any better.
His hands are usually pretty good but he consistently pushed off defensive backs and was called for it. To me, that’s a sign that you can’t burst and cut the way you’d like to and that isn’t going to improve as he gets older with those surgeries in his rearview. In short, I think it’s all downhill for Winslow physical abilities from here on out. Hope I’m wrong but it is what it is.
K2 was a knucklehead…I’m glad he’s gone…sure he was a good TE, but he was still a nitwit…a great talent, but a great big cancer too…
All the KW2 bashing is unwarranted. Yes he is a hothead and kind of a douche, but during the game no one goes harder and cares more about winning.
It’s going to be weird seeing him plastered all over Raymond James Stadium.
Drained his balls?!?!?!? OUCH!
“Is anyone else as juiced I am about the idea of bringing Matt Jones to town?”
The local drug dealers are pretty juiced too.
K2’s statement that it was the most painful thing he’s ever expwerienced speaks volumes. Think about all of his injuries, and this one hurt the most. Ouch.
One thing that you can say about Winslow that everybody will agree with is that Winslow is “nuts”.
How many Pro-Bowls will K2 play in during his tenure in Cleveland?
What will Muhammed Masaquoi and whoever the Browns got in the 5th round do in comparison in regards to impact the games?
Oh yea……..we picked up Robert Royal.
I meant during K2’s tenure in Tampa Bay (above).
@ #14 “All the KW2 bashing is unwarranted. Yes he is a hothead and kind of a douche, but during the game no one goes harder and cares more about winning.”
That may be so, but as a fan you have to put up with him off the field as well. That said, he could be overbearingly douche-ey.
For all you people that DONT KNOW what MRSA infections look like here you go [WFNY edit: the video linked to was of a spider bite]
And for you people still not convinced that it wasnt an STD, read up on the MRSA infection. His wife could have simply got it from touching Winslow’s SKIN! The infection creates colonies on people’s bodies and can be easily transmitted into ANY open wound as small as a scratch! PS. IT CAN CAUSE infertility especially since it was on his scrotum. The swelling can cut off blood supply to his testicles and stunt the production of SPERM. Read a book you morons!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n1-XwlKAGc
MRSA VIDEO
[…] the departure of Kellen Winslow, the team has been looking to find the next starting tight end. Robert Royal and Steve Heiden are […]