Browns rookie Mike Hall Jr. regrets 'unfortunate event' that led to arrest, NFL suspension

BEREA — Browns rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. would not answer directly any questions about the August event which led to his arrest on a domestic violence charge . However, he also didn't deny the allegations which eventually led to him to pleading to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct .

"I'm not going to speak on what happened," Hall said Friday afternoon. "I mean, if you want to know what happened, you can just go read the police reports or whatever. I mean, people are entitled to their own opinions, so believe what you want to believe or do what you want to do. But at the end of the day, I'm still here. I'm still Cleveland Brown at the end of the day, and I'm going to continue to be here and work hard every day."

Hall, 21, was originally arrested on Aug. 13, a day after an alleged incident involving his fiancee, with whom he had a son, his fiancee's mom and him at their Avon home. He eventually pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor on Sept. 19, after which he was fined $250, had a 30-day jail sentence suspended and was placed on two-year monitor time.

The Cleveland native, Streetsboro High School graduate and Ohio State product was reinstated by the NFL on Monday after having served a five-game personal conduct policy suspension connected to the arrest. He is credited for the four games he missed while he was on the commissioner's exemption list, which he was placed on Aug. 27.

"Yeah, for sure," Hall said when asked if he regretted the incident. "It was just an unfortunate event, but just controlling what I can control as a man and a person. Just, you got to move forward and just continue going to counseling and all that. It's been a real help."

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday the team plans on adding Hall to the active roster for Sunday's game at the Philadelphia Eagles. The team was given a one-game roster exemption by the league they could've used this week if they didn't feel like Hall was ready to play after having not practiced since August.

While Hall was both on the commissioner's exempt list and the one week he was actually on the suspended list, he was allowed in the facility, but not participate in practice or attend any games.

"Just coming back, just excited to be in a building with the guys," Hall said. "Just happy that everybody accepted me back after the unfortunate event that happened recently. Just moving on and moving forward and just trying to get back out there and get in a groove of things."

The original statement in the police report said Hall was verbally abusive at times during the incident, dragging his fiancee by her feet from the house and down the driveway at one point. He also, later, punched a hole in a bedroom door and put a gun to her head while, according to the report, saying, "I will (expletive) end it all. I don't care."

The victim went back to Avon police on Aug. 16 to amend her original statement, in which she said she was "having a major headache" when she gave her original statement and that she "shouldn't have said anything until (she) could think clearer." In amended statement, she said she did not "recall a gun being put to" her head or "seeing any guns" around her, and said the damage could've been done from "moving (their) bed in and scraping the door because of the size bed."

Hall said, "Uh, no," when asked Friday if he wanted to push back on any of the allegations.

"I just kept my head where my feet are," Hall said. "Just take every day, take everything just one day at a time. Really not looking at the future or anything like that, or not worrying about the outside noise. Like I said before, people are entitled to their own opinions, so you let people think what they want to believe. I mean, they weren't there. I was the only person that was there that happened at that night. So only me truly knows what happened."

The Browns' second-round pick in April was back in the building the day after his arrest, and practiced that afternoon in the first of two joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings. He left the practice with what was termed as a "stinger," but played in the preseason game on Aug. 17.

Hall played 84 combined defensive snaps over the three preseason games, and another nine special teams snaps. He finished with two assisted tackles and two quarterback hits.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns rookie Mike Hall Jr. regrets 'unfortunate event' that led to arrest, NFL suspension