LeBron Fires Back at Edwards

NFL News - October 6th, 2009 - Written by John

LeBron James called Braylon Edwards childish in what appears to be a bizarre spat between two of the biggest names in Cleveland (one for actually being good at his job) who were selected in the first round of their respective sport's drafts.

Edwards is being investigated for a scuffle with a club promoter in the early hours of Monday morning, which ended in an alleged punch from the Cleveland Browns wide receiver. Reports indicate that Edwards approached Edward Givens around 2:30 a.m. after the View Ultralounge & Nightclub closed down and began a lengthy tirade. Somewhere in the rant, Edwards indicated displeasure with James and hit Givens in the mouth.

"Braylon comes up and started saying things, degrading me," Givens said on ESPN.com. "He said if it wasn't for LeBron [James] or the Four Horsemen [James' friends and business partners], I wouldn't have what I have, nor would I be able to get girls. Everyone knows Braylon has a problem with LeBron.

"I had to speak up for myself. The conversation started to escalate. As some of his teammates started to pull him back, he punched me. As long as I've known Braylon, I've allowed him and his friends to come into our events free of charge. Whatever jealousy he has with LeBron, he felt he needed to take it out on me."

Givens, who is small in stature, is good friends with James and supposedly called the NBA star around 7 a.m. after a trip to the hospital. James was surprised by the incident and fielded questions after practice about the incident.

"I've never crossed paths with Braylon before, but it seems like there's a little jealousy going on with Braylon and me and my friends. I have no idea why," James told ESPN on Monday. "I've never said anything to Braylon at all. But for him to do that is very childish. My friend is 130 pounds. Seriously. It's like hitting one of my kids. It doesn't make sense."

Edwards didn't talk to reporters about the incident, but tweeted, "I have no issue with LeBron. I respect and admire him."

The NFL is currently investigating the confrontation to determine whether he will be punished under the league's conduct policy. In petty crimes, charges are typically handed over to the district attorney for further review and the police said they will not get involved.

But that doesn't clear Edwards from punishment from his employer. It has already been a rocky career for the wide out, who didn't catch a pass on Sunday for the first time in his 62-game career. He was already on a short leash with fans after leading the league with 16 dropped passes in 2008. His problems extended beyond the field, too. He was cited for driving 120 mph last November and was with Donte Stallworth in Miami the night Stallworth fatally struck a man with his car while driving drunk.

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