Well that’s certainly not the way to prepare yourself for the first game of the NFL season in two days.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported on Friday night that Browns cornerback Justin Gilbert was involved in a road rage incident, crashing his vehicle in a drain ditch in Brunswick, Ohio (some 26 miles away from Cleveland). The 23-year-old Oklahoma State product received a citation from local authorities as a result of the episode.
Alyssa Pasicznyk and Dena Greer of newsnet5.com filled in the details of the incident saying that it began in Middleburg Heights with a driver of a Mustang allegedly chasing the second-year cornerback in his Dodge Challenger and causing Gilbert to crash into a ditch. Police say that the two drivers then proceeded to exchange middle fingers with Gilbert supposedly throwing tobacco juice on the other vehicle.
.@fox8news viewer snapped this pic of @Browns CB Justin Gilbert's Dodge Challenger in ditch after road rage incident: pic.twitter.com/jne7N4g9qR
— Nicholas A. Kovach (@TheKovach) September 12, 2015
Gilbert was reportedly cited for a lack of responsible control, while the other driver was given a ticket for disorderly conduct.
The Browns open up the season Sunday on the road against the New York Jets. It’s unclear if Gilbert, the eighth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and second strong side cornerback on the depth chart behind Joe Harden, will face any team-imposed discipline that could keep him out of action in Week 1 or beyond.
With fellow 2014 draftee Johnny Manziel looking to turn over a new leaf next season, could Gilbert have just replaced Johnny Football as the de facto young knucklehead in the Browns locker room?
Whatever the case, Gilbert probably should have saved his rage for covering Eric Decker on Sunday.
Image Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
