Caleb Brantley in the clear after assault charge dismissed

The assault charge facing Browns rookie Caleb Brantley following an altercation with a woman in Florida last month has been dismissed, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.

The Browns released a statement on behalf of Brantley.

“I’m grateful for today’s ruling,” Brantley’s statement read. “I won’t take the opportunity the Browns have given me for granted and now I can shift all my focus to working hard to make this football team while also showing my teammates, coaches, the organization and this community the type of person I really am.”

General manager Sashi Brown also released a statement through the team saying the team understood there was “a reasonable chance” for this outcome prior to drafting Brantley.

“As we have previously discussed, the allegations made regarding the incident were not something we take lightly,” the statement read. “Caleb understands that we have an expectation and standard for every member of our organization. He’s a talented young man with a great opportunity in front of him.”

Brantley was arrested after he allegedly hit the woman, knocking her unconscious. The incident occurred after an argument between the two, which reportedly stemmed from Brantley making crude comments to the woman.

According to the police report, the woman suffered dental injuries and required a root canal. Police noted in the report that Brantley’s actions “far exceeded what was reasonable or necessary.”

When police arrived on the scene, Brantley told them that he was the victim and that he had shoved the woman after being hit in the face. Brantley’s attorneys obtained video of the incident, which they claimed contradicted the woman’s version of events.

The Browns drafted Brantley with the first pick of the sixth round in the 2017 draft. Brantley was projected to go as high as the first round in some early mock drafts, and this incident impacted his draft stock dramatically.

Brown said after the team selected Brantley that the Browns might be forced to part ways with him depending on the outcome of the case. But now that the charge has been dismissed, that shouldn’t be a problem for the Browns.