SEVEN DAYS IN Cleveland epitomized the volatile landscape of eligibility in college sports -- and how the uncertainty is now seeping into the NFL.
On Aug. 19, 33 athletes -- including then-Browns and former Ole Miss tight end Dae'Quan Wright -- were granted a temporary restraining order by a Louisiana state court to return to college for one more season. The following day, Wright was one of more than a dozen former FBS players, including athletes who had signed contracts with NFL teams, who entered their names into the NCAA transfer portal.
On Saturday, Wright donned a Browns uniform and warmed up with the team ahead of Cleveland's second preseason game. He didn't play in the game, and by Tuesday, Cleveland waived Wright with a noninjury settlement, and Wright reached an agreement to play for his former college coach, Lane Kiffin, who is now at LSU.
"Man, isn't this s--- crazy? I don't even know what to say," Browns coach Todd Monken said after Saturday's preseason game.
"I cannot believe this is being green-lit on any level," a scouting executive for an NFL club told ESPN on Sunday.