Cleveland Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins and offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. were stopped and cited for drag racing on Jan. 5, days prior to their first playoff game. Weeks later, the case has now come to an end. Both players pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of speeding.
According to TMZ Sports, Higgins and Wills pleaded not guilty to the drag racing charges. They then pleaded guilty to the lesser charge and paid $250 fines. If either player had been convicted of drag racing, they would have faced a maximum fine of $1,000 and up to six months in jail. The judge could have also suspended their licenses for anywhere between 30 days and three years.
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The incident occurred on Jan. 5 when officers pulled over both Higgins and Wills in Chrysler SUVs. The interaction between Wills and the officer was reasonably straightforward, considering that the rookie said that he and Higgins were both “being d—heads.” He received his ticket and went on his way.
The wide receiver, on the other hand, had an entirely different traffic stop. The officer asked why the car smelled like marijuana. Higgins said that he had smoked in the car the day before, but the officer said he had found a joint in the receiver’s pocket.
According to the stop footage, the officer said that getting arrested for marijuana would be bad press, so he ordered Higgins to destroy the joint. “You guys are celebrities around here, so you don’t want that hitting the news, OK?” the officer said during the stop. He added that he would only write Higgins a ticket for drag racing.
Higgins initially responded to the reports that he was drag racing with multiple tweets. “Foot slipped sorry,” he wrote in one. “Was tryna get away from Covid.” The Browns also stated that the organization was aware of the situation and was gathering more information at the time of the incident.
Wills responded with a tweet of his own after getting pulled over and cited. “So nobody has ever tried to beat someone off the line at a red light for a max 30 meters? Ight.” he tweeted on Jan. 5. “Blowing it way out of proportion. Ik y’all road ragers have.”
The situation is now behind both men as they approach the offseason. The Browns will try to build upon the 2020 success and reach greater heights in 2021 after facing the Kansas City Chiefs during the Divisional round and losing.
