Browns CB Joe Haden was banished from practice Wednesday late in the session. The incident occurred after a hard tackle by Haden on rookie WR Travis Benjamin in the end zone in 7-on-7 drills.
Haden appeared angry as he left the field.
Coach Pat Shurmur stressed that he would not answer questions about what happened.
"I'm not going to talk about it," he said. "It's between me and the player. I have great respect for Joe. My only apology is that I used bad language and the fans heard it.
"It's important that we practice smart. You have to be able to practice at game-speed. We want all our guys to make it to the horse race."
Asked to elaborate, Shurmur cut the question short. "Don't ask," he said. "I'm not going to talk about it."
Neither was Haden. It was soon announced that he would not speak to the media.
Team president Mike Holmgren did, however. He told Browns flagship station WTAM-1100 that Haden was sent away for being too rough. It's uncertain when Haden will return to the team.
Veteran receiver/kick returner Josh Cribbs added that he doesn't believe bad feelings will persist.
"Boys will be boys," he said. "It's football. That's the nature of football and I we love it. They hug and they make up and it's no problem. Boys will be boys and coaches will be coaches. [Shurmur] had to diffuse the situation. We have to give coach our all and Joe does that as well."
Haden has had an eventful camp. He has performed well throughout and has shown an encouraging penchant for knockaways and interceptions after recording no picks in 2011. But he might also face a suspension for a possible violation of the NFL drug policy.
Shurmur had no problem talking about his performance this summer.
"Joe's had a great camp," he said. "He's challenged receivers, he came in in great shape. I told him that 'you got to become the best Joe you can be.'"
Stay dialed in on the Cleveland Browns on Twitter at @CBSSportsNFLCLE throughout the season with on-site updates from CBSSports.com RapidReports correspondent Marty Gitlin.
Browns coach Pat Shurmur declines to elaborate on Joe Haden's banishment
Browns CB Joe Haden was banished from practice Wednesday after a hard tackle on rookie WR Travis Benjamin in the end zone in 7-on-7 drills. Haden appeared angry as he left the field, and head coach Pat Shurmer refused to discuss both the incident and the banishment. It's unknown when Haden will return.
By
Marty Gitlin
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1 min read