Browns Release Lonnie Phelps After DUI and Restaurant Crash

Lonnie Phelps, a defensive end for the Cleveland Browns, was arrested Wednesday night for drunken driving after crashing his SUV into a restaurant in Florida. The incident took place at the Red Shoe Island Bistro in Key West, leading to additional charges of property damage.

Following the crash, the Cleveland Browns decided to waive Phelps on Thursday afternoon. The 23-year-old player was reported to have been uncooperative with law enforcement officers at the scene, as per the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office report acquired by Cleveland.com.

Photos from the scene, which were shared online by TMZ Sports, depicted Phelps’ vehicle lodged into the side of the restaurant, causing significant damage. The estimated cost of the damage was around $300,000.

Phelps joined the Browns as an undrafted free agent in May 2023 and spent the last season on the practice squad. He was then signed to a reserve/future contract by the team in January. However, his tenure with the team has now been abruptly ended due to the recent incident.

Before his professional career, Phelps played college football in Miami (Ohio) from 2019 to 2021 and in Kansas in 2022. Over his college career, he accumulated impressive stats with 23 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss in 41 games.