Cleveland Brown's Kellen Winslow learns that his right to "freedom of speech" is anything but free
The Cleveland Brown's just taught their pro-bowl TE #80 Kellen Winslow a thing or two about the fine points of constitutional law. As he is now keenly aware, his first amendment right to "freedom of speech" is anything but free.
Kellen Winslow exercised his constitutional rights when he publicly discussed his feelings about the way the Cleveland front office handled his recent illness. Kellen Winslow was hospitalized and treated for his second staph skin infection. This brings the total to 6 documented (who knows how many others) infections at the Brown's training facilities. He stated that he felt like he was treated like "a piece of meat" by the team's administration. He went on to say that his intent was not to be a disruptive force but to shed light on the issue of recurrent staph skin infections, a serious and potentially deadly health concern.
The Cleveland Brown's brain trust quickly thanked him for the enlightenment and public service announcement then promptly suspended him one game without pay which lightened his pocket by roughly $232,000.
Staph skin infections (especially the MRSA variety) are a major health concern for contact athletes and people living in close quarters. Multiple recent deaths of otherwise healthy teenage athletes have made this issue a national emergency.
The Cleveland Brown's organization could have chosen to view this situation as an opportunity to step to the forefront and champion the cause of staph skin infection education, prevention and treatment. But they clearly chose to make a very public example of young Mr. Winslow.
Note to the currently 2-4 Cleveland Brown players (young men):
Intimidation and fear are prime motivators...who's your daddy?
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