I guess having several players on drug charges and a front office that has been fined for dirty dealings with the 49ers wasn't enough.
Browns lose Roye to injury, waive Frost, sign Akins
Dec. 11, 2001
SportsLine.com wire reports
CLEVELAND -- The banged-up Cleveland Browns took another lump on Tuesday as the club lost defensive tackle Orpheus Roye for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Roye sustained a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Sunday's loss at New England, and the Browns placed him on the injured list.
Normally, it takes 8-to-10 weeks to recover from such an injury.
Roye, who had started in 10 games, is the Browns' second defensive lineman to suffer a season-ending injury. End Keith McKenzie broke his ankle in a Nov. 4 loss at Chicago. He was leading Cleveland in sacks when he got hurt.
Roye is the 13th Cleveland player to be placed on the reserve-injured list this season.
The Browns' defensive front was already depleted with end Courtney Brown missing most of the past two weeks with an ankle injury. He sat out the first six games with a sprained knee.
Browns coach Butch Davis said Brown had a cast removed from his ankle on Monday and is now in a walking boot.
Cleveland lost starting offensive guard Tre Johnson and tight end Rickey Dudley for the year earlier this season, and have had several key backups get hurt.
The Browns (6-6), who are still in the AFC wild-card chase, are also waiting to see if cornerback Daylon McCutcheon (ankle) and H-back Aaron Shea (shoulder) can play this Sunday against Jacksonville.
Roye, 27, started all 16 games for the Browns last season at tackle and finished with a career-high 69 tackles. He signed as a free agent in 2000 after spending four years in Pittsburgh.
In other moves Tuesday, the Browns waived safety Scott Frost and claimed former Green Bay safety Chris Akins off waivers.
Akins lost his starting safety spot three weeks ago when he committed a costly personal foul that led to Atlanta's winning touchdown, then got into a shouting match with Packers coach Mike Sherman on the sideline.
Sherman considered cutting him, but instead fined him a game's pay -- $21,611 -- after Akins apologized and several teammates lobbied on his behalf.
But Akins committed two penalties on returns last week at Jacksonville. Sherman yelled at him after the first infraction, in which Akins ran into the returner before the ball arrived.
He was cut soon after when he complained about his relationship with Sherman and asked to be released when the season ended.
Cleveland plays in Green Bay on Dec. 23.
Akins had 12 tackles and seven special teams tackles in 11 games this season for the Packers. He has appeared in 30 games with Dallas and Green Bay in his three-year NFL career.
Frost played in 12 games for the Browns this season, making two tackles and 16 special teams tackles.
A former Nebraska quarterback, Frost ran the option on a fourth-down play and pitched to running back Ben Gay for a first down in Cleveland's 31-15 loss to Tennessee on Dec. 2.
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