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Former Gator Caleb Brantley paying a steep price for nothing

 
Caleb Brantley, who dropped to the sixth round of the draft, works out during Browns rookie minicamp. [Associated Press]
Caleb Brantley, who dropped to the sixth round of the draft, works out during Browns rookie minicamp. [Associated Press]
Published May 22, 2017

It turns out Caleb Brantley isn't quite the dirtbag that millions of people presumed. It's too bad the damage to his reputation and bank account is already done.

The former Florida defensive tackle was expected to be a second-round pick in the NFL draft. Then two weeks before the draft he was charged with punching a woman and knocking her unconscious outside a Gainesville bar.

So long, second round. Hello, hellfire.

Brantley was blasted from coast to coast. How could a 300-pound football player slug a 120-pound coed?

Cleveland ended up taking Brantley in the sixth round and got royally ripped for aiding and abetting a supposed thug.

Brantley essentially became Joe Mixon II, with just one difference.

He didn't do it.

The state's attorney dropped the charges Wednesday, saying there was "no reliable evidence upon which an arrest or prosecution would be warranted or legally justified."

You'll understand if Brantley feels like an 87-year-old man.

That would be Raymond J. Donovan. He was the Secretary of Labor from 1981-85. Then in 1987, Donovan was indicted for fraud and larceny in connection with a construction project in New York.

It got a lot of publicity, none of it good for Donovan.

He was eventually acquitted, which was nice. But as he left the courthouse, Donovan famously asked, "Which office do I go to get my reputation back?"

Brantley hasn't been quite as sardonic.

"I'm grateful for today's ruling," he said in statement released by Cleveland. "I won't take the opportunity the Browns have given me for granted."

What he should do is take his accuser to court. If he wins any money, he should buy a deserted island where potential draft picks can go to hide out before the big day.

It's not fair that they'd have to drop off the face of the Earth. But it's the only way to guarantee they won't find trouble or trouble won't find them and ask for a settlement to go away.

Based on Internet commentary, just about everybody assumed what happened the night of April 13 was Brantley's fault.

In the initial police report, witnesses said the woman, Chelsea Austin, pushed Brantley. He responded by hitting her in the face so hard she needed a root canal.

There was a lot of He-Said/She-Said, so it was up to State Attorney William P. Cervone to investigate.

He found that Austin had been drinking heavily, that she initially denied being assaulted and has little or no memory of what actually happened. The witnesses who said she was attacked had also been drinking and provided conflicting testimony.

Neutral witnesses supported Brantley's side of the story. The reports that Austin suffered a significant injury were overblown, and any minor injury she sustained was "inconsistent with any great force having been used against her."

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Cervone said Brantley shoved Austin away after she "began to physically punch or assault" him. He said Brantley had a right to defend himself, even against a woman less than half his size.

You could argue there is never a good reason for raising a hand to a woman. I would agree, but then I wasn't the one getting pounced on that night.

"There is a clear lack of evidence to prove guilt of any criminal offense beyond a reasonable doubt," Cervone said.

It's a wonderful thing, that due process. Too bad it doesn't adhere to our hot-take culture or the NFL calendar.

The first pick in the second round, cornerback Kevin King, signed a four-year contract worth $7.08 million. The last pick in the second round, guard Taylor Moton, signed a four-year deal worth $4.158 million.

Brantley was generally rated the No. 2 or 3 interior defensive lineman in the draft.

Let's assume he would have landed in the middle of the second round and gotten a four-year deal worth $5.5 million.

He hasn't signed with Cleveland yet, but last year's No. 185 pick (DeAndre Houston-Carson of the Bears) made $590,000.

We can't be precise, but it's relatively safe to say Brantley's draft plummet cost him $3 million.

Where was that deserted island when he needed it?

"Caleb must grow as a person from this situation," the Browns said in a statement. "He is now able to move forward and focus on earning a spot on this roster."

In the meantime, somebody please tell him where to get his reputation and $3 million back.