Browns DE waived after crashing car into bistro

Cleveland Browns defensive end Lonnie Phelps was charged with drunken driving Wednesday night after police said he crashed his SUV into a Florida restaurant.

Phelps also faces a charge for damaging property following the incident at the Red Shoe Island Bistro in Key West.

The Browns waived Phelps on Thursday afternoon.

Phelps, 23, was taken into custody after refusing to cooperate with officers, according to a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office report obtained by Cleveland.com.

Photographs reportedly from the scene were posted online by TMZ Sports and showed a vehicle wedged into the side of the restaurant. Reports estimated the damages at $300,000.

Phelps signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent in May 2023, and he spent last season on their practice squad. Cleveland signed him to a reserve/future contract in January.

Phelps played college football at Miami (Ohio) from 2019 to 2021 and at Kansas in 2022. He recorded 23 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss in 41 games.

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