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Malik McDowell's HS Coach Says Browns DL Doesn't Remember Altercation with Police
January 20, 2022
Reggie Wynns, Malik McDowell's former coach at Southfield High School, said the Cleveland Browns defensive tackle has no memory of his altercation with police from earlier this week.
Speaking to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Wynns said McDowell told him he "doesn't remember anything."
"He was so emotional," Wynns added. "It had me in tears, because he was trying, trying, trying so hard."
Per Lisa J. Huriash and Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel, McDowell was arrested on Monday in Deerfield Beach, Florida, on charges of public exposure, resisting arrest with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer.
The arrest came after the Broward County Sheriff's Office received a report of a naked man walking near a learning center. Surveillance footage showed McDowell walking onto the property without any clothes on.
In the audio from the 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports, a woman told dispatch a man was "just walking up and down in front of the building."
An attorney for McDowell told Huriash and Perkins that someone "may have slipped him something or given him something he was unaware of, which explains some of his bizarre behavior."
A Browns spokesperson issued a statement on behalf of the team:
"We are aware of the very concerning incident and arrest involving Malik McDowell and are in the process of gathering more information. We understand the severity of this matter and our thoughts are for the well-being of all involved. We will have no further comment at this time."
McDowell was a second-round draft pick (No. 35 overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in 2017. He never appeared in a game for the team due to injuries suffered in an ATV accident.
The Seahawks released McDowell in March 2019. He was sentenced to 11 months in prison in November 2019 after pleading guilty to assault, resisting arrest and operating a vehicle while intoxicated and receiving and concealing stolen property from two separate arrests earlier in the year.
McDowell signed with the Browns in May and made the final 53-man roster. The 25-year-old finished with 33 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks in 15 games this season.