Mychal Kendricks was formally charged on Wednesday with insider trading, and charges like that typically come after a lengthy investigation. With that in mind, it’s fair to wonder if the Cleveland Browns had knowledge of Kendricks’ legal trouble before they signed the linebacker to a one-year deal back in June.
Apparently the team knew, but Kendricks may have been misleading about the extent of his involvement. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com was told by a source that the Browns were aware that Kendricks was part of an investigation but were led to believe he was not the target and had not committed any crimes.
Without having all the information, it’s hard to say whether Kendricks lied so he could secure his one-year, $3.5 million contract. Federal investigations can change as new information is uncovered, so it is possible that Kendricks may not have been the target of the investigation at the time he signed with the Browns. The team has to assume at least some of the responsibility for signing a player who is involved in something like that, whether the information was misleading or not.
For what it’s worth, the statement Kendricks issued on Wednesday makes it clear that he knew he was involved in illegal activity. Unless he informed the Browns of that fact, they’ll probably feel like they were misled.
