CLEVELAND -- New York Jets running back and former UGA player Isaiah Crowell was clearly not happy with the Cleveland Browns for letting him test the free-agent market, and he let that be known in the second quarter of the Thursday Night Football game at FirstEnergy Stadium.
After rushing for his second touchdown of the game and helping the Jets to a 14-0 lead over the Browns with 7:54 to play in the second quarter, Crowell celebrated in an obscene way, by pretending to wipe his backside with the football, and then, firing it into the stands.
Crowell was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct following the celebration.
On third-and-goal from the Cleveland two-yard line, Crowell took a pitch out wide to the left side of the formation, and despite plenty of traffic in front of him, as well as a tackle attempt at his knees that spun him around and airborne, he plunged across the goal line to cap off the 10-play, 63-yard drive in the end zone.
The Browns expected to see a strong effort from their former teammate, Crowell, and after a slow start to the game for the New York offense, the Jets gave Cleveland a heavy dose of the run game late in their first scoring drive of the night.
Crowell ran for gains of six and seven yards respectively on the final two plays of the possession and punctuated the drive with a touchdown run around left end that put the Jets ahead of the Browns, 7-0, with 14:56 to play in the first half.
On second-and-goal from the Cleveland seven-yard line, Crowell took a handoff from rookie quarterback Sam Darnold on the right side of the formation, hustled back left and sprinted his way into the left front corner of the end zone untouched by the Browns’ defense.
The Jets’ first scoring drive was set up by a punt that was batted out of the air and out of bounds for a three-yard loss credited to Browns specialist Britton Colquitt.
Crowell, a Columbus, Georgia native, was a running back for UGA in 2011. He was then dismissed in the summer of 2012 after he being arrested. Crowell then went on to play two seasons at Alabama State before joining the NFL.
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