Rumors of Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski parting ways with the franchise refuse to simmer down.

As the two-time coach of the year winner is being blamed for the Browns' poor turnout, many players have backed him.

Jerry Jeudy is one of them, and he has made himself very clear.

In a media session on Wednesday, he dismissed a reporter asking what Jeudy had to say about these rumors. He shut the question immediately, saying these conversations haven’t made their way into the locker room and that matters the most.

“We don’t focus on it basically. We ignore all the outside stuff because 99% of it is wrong,” he said. “We just focus on what’s in the locker room.”

Juedy praised his coach for maintaining his composure through thick and thin, saying that quality makes him an ideal coach.

“He’s been the same coach since I’ve been here, through the ups and down, He never changed and always stays consistent. That’s all you can ask for from a coach,” Juedy clarified.

However, when the reporter asked if he wanted Stefasnki to stay with the Browns, Juedy, taken aback, responded quickly: “Yeah, of course. You want me to say no? That’s crazy.”

Media Vs Stefanski

This is not the first time Stefanski or his players have been asked such questions. In a media session after their game against the Buffalo Bills, a reporter asked rookie Sheduer Sanders if he was happy with the game calls Stefanski made. 

To which, the 23-year-old smiled and said, “I know you can’t be asking me that question, man.” He proceeded to call out reporters for asking such questions that create miscommunication and friction within the team. Something Sanders would know, given the tiff between him, fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, and Stefanski. 

“A lot of the players get these type of questions, and then we want to be working with y’all. But when you ask questions, it’s like you pinning stuff against each other, it’s like, come on now.”

Joel Bitonio, the long-running veteran on the team, backed Stefanski, too. He said the two-time Coach of the Year awardee is well aware of their situation. But the losses don’t change the fact that he is a good coach.

“I think he's a good football coach,” Bitonio said.

“We have not won. And he will tell you firsthand winning matters in this league and we haven't done that. But as a coach goes, I have the highest respect for him, what he's done here.”

Stefanski has led the franchise into the playoffs twice. While the 2024 and this season have been disappointing to say the least, Denzel Ward refused to blame himself solely for it.

“It falls on his hands in a sense, that’s why the outside world sees it as his fault.”

“But it's not just one person or one coach. I mean, I just said, we’re all in this together,” Ward said.

Is Stefanski being judged unfairly? And so, why? There are many questions about who is truly responsible for the state of this team. Some even point fingers at general manager Andrew Berry. But as Sanders had said, these questions just don’t help.

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Joyita Das