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Prosecutors in Florida have opted not to move forward with a case against Cleveland Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins following his July 12 arrest in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on a domestic violence charge, the assistant state attorney announced in a memorandum on Thursday.
The Browns declined to comment on Thursday’s news when reached by The Athletic. An NFL spokesperson said: “We have been following developments in the matter, which remains under review.”
The police report alleged that Judkins, 21, struck a woman with a closed fist on July 7 and that bruising was still visible to police when the woman reported the incident five days later. Judkins was released from jail on a $2,500 bond on July 13, and later canceled a public meet-and-greet and a youth football camp he was scheduled to host in Cleveland.
In the memorandum released Thursday, in which the state announced it would not move forward with the case, authorities said they reviewed body-worn camera videos, surveillance video of places the couple had been, photos showing bruising and marks on the victim, and cell phone text messages and calls. Authorities said the July 7 incident occurred when the couple went to Fort Lauderdale following a family trip to Hawaii in which “some family drama” emerged between Judkins’ family and the alleged victim and her friends.
“The victim was annoyed with the defendant for not responding to her about the text messages or defending her to his family,” the memo said. A verbal argument then became physical when, “He pointed his finger at the victim, and she slapped his hand away, also punching him.” The victim claimed Judkins then punched her in the mouth, cutting her lip.
While the victim supplied photos from her phone showing bruises and cuts to her face and arms, authorities said when they reviewed closed-circuit security videos of the couple, “no visible signs of the bruising or cuts to the victim’s face or arms could be seen in the videos.”
Because of this, the memorandum stated, along with the fact that the incident was not captured on any video surveillance and there were no independent witnesses to the incident, as well as the delay in the incident being reported, authorities decided “there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction, and this case is being declined.”
It is unclear whether this decision means Judkins will be able to rejoin the Browns, or when that might happen. The NFL and the Browns have their own investigations into the matter, and it should be noted that Judkins is not currently under contract with the team, as he had not yet signed his rookie deal when he was arrested four weeks ago.
Judkins worked with both the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses at various times during the spring. The Browns drafted Judkins at No. 36 in April with the belief that he would fit their wide-zone run scheme and be a significant contributor during his rookie season.
Jerome Ford opened camp as the No. 1 running back. Ford, who’s in the final year of his rookie contract, took a pay cut in the spring to essentially guarantee his roster spot. The other veteran in the running back room is Pierre Strong Jr., who’s also only signed through 2025 and has mostly been a special teams player.
The Browns also selected a second running back in the draft in fourth-rounder Dylan Sampson. Fellow running back Ahmani Marshall joined the team as an undrafted free agent. It’s unclear, for now, how this latest development with Judkins will affect the pecking order in the Browns’ running back room.
(Photo: Ken Blaze / Imagn Images)