Former Ohio State and current Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall will start his rookie season on the Commissioner's Exempt List.
On Tuesday, Cleveland placed Hall on the Commissioner's Exempt List under the personal conduct policy. If NFL commissioner Roger Goodell authorizes the Browns' request, Hall will not count against the team's 53-man roster and will not participate in any team football activities until Goodell removes him from the list.
According to the NFL Player Personnel Policy Manual, Goodell can authorize a player's appearance on the Commissioner's Exempt List when a player is formally charged with:
- A felony offense; or,
- “... a crime of violence, meaning that he is accused of having used physical force or a weapon to injure or threaten a person or animal, of having engaged in a sexual assault by force or against a person who was incapable of giving consent, or having engaged in other conduct that poses a genuine danger to the safety or well-being of another person. The formal charges may be in the form of an indictment by a grand jury, the filing of charges by a prosecutor, or an arraignment in a criminal court.”
A second-round pick in 2024, Hall has participated in football activities since the Avon Police Department arrested him on a charge of misdemeanor domestic violence earlier this month. He's attended all of the Browns' preseason practices since then and played in the team's final two preseason games against the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks.
Hall's fiancée has accused him of placing a gun to her head and threatening to kill her during an argument at the couple's house, though WKYC reported last week that she recanted the accusation of Hall holding a gun to her head. Hall and his fiancée share a home with their 11-month-old son, Trey, and a daughter from the fiancée's previous relationship.
Hall pleaded not guilty to one count of domestic violence at his arraignment in Avon Municipal Court on Aug. 13. He was released from jail on a $10,000 personal bond after turning himself in earlier that morning.
