Browns DT Michael Hall Jr. To Be Placed On Commissioner Exempt List

Update:

Mary Kay Cabot reports that the NFL is expected to place Hall Jr. on the exempt list by Tuesday’s roster cut deadline. Stay tuned to NFL Trade Rumors for more updates regarding the situation.

Mary Kay Cabot reports that Browns second-round DT Michael Hall Jr. is awaiting word on whether or not he will be placed on the Commissioner Exempt List due to violation of the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.

He was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence back on August 13th stemming from an incident in which Hall is accused of putting a gun to his fiancée’s head and threatening to kill her during an argument at their home in Avon, Ohio. 

The league has launched its own investigation into the case and can place him on the list while it gathers more information and the legal process continues to take place.

Hall pleaded not guilty to one count of domestic violence and was released from jail on a $10,000 personal bond after turning himself in. His next court date is September 10th, two days after the Browns season opener against the Cowboys.

He has been participating in all football activities since being charged and played in the final two preseason games against the Vikings and Seahawks. If placed on the Commissioner Exempt List, he cannot participate in any team activities. The league will then determine whether or not to suspend him once the legal process plays out.

Several Browns players have weighed in on the situation including WR Elijah Moore and Rodney McLeod.

“We just sit there and we pray for him,” Moore said following the incident. “Life happens outside of football. We can just focus on what’s going on in the building and pray for him for whatever’s going on outside.”

“We’re a team,” McLeod added. “We’re a family. And we’re understanding that certain things are going to arise and take place and so you have to treat it as such. We’re all human beings and so for us we’re just trying to learn more about what took place and we will handle things accordingly.”

Even QB Deshaun Watson commented, noting that the issue would not be a distraction for the team.

“We’re all locked in practicing and that situation is going to get handled with the front office and we just got to keep focusing on what the main thing is,” Watson noted.

Hall Jr., 21, was a two-year starter at Ohio State and was named third-team All-Big Ten in 2022 and 2023.

The No. 54 overall pick signed a four-year, $7,069,828 contract that includes a $1,961,692 signing bonus and will carry a $1,285,423 cap figure for the 2024 season.

In three seasons with the Buckeyes, Hall Jr. appeared in 26 games and recorded 45 tackles, six sacks, and one fumble recovery.

We will have more news on Hall as it becomes available.