The Cleveland Browns are currently a franchise in freefall, and the wreckage isn’t just visible on the scoreboard; it’s echoing through the locker room and spilling into the press room. Following a humiliating 31-3 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bears, the “Super Bowl of Excuses” has officially reached its peak. While fans are used to seeing losses, what transpired this week is something far more sinister: a total collapse of accountability, a “wristband scandal” that suggests internal sabotage, and a veteran leader finally speaking out about the impossible situation facing rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

The firestorm began when All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio, one of the few remaining pillars of stability in Cleveland, addressed the media. Bitonio, who played through a significant injury just to support his teammates, provided a glimpse into the character of Shedeur Sanders that stands in stark contrast to the narratives being pushed by the coaching staff. According to Bitonio, Sanders has “never complained once” despite playing behind an offensive line that has been decimated by injuries and incompetence. Sanders has been battered, bruised, and left unprotected, yet he continues to get back up and hunt for the next play. Bitonio’s comments weren’t just praise for a rookie; they were a subtle, stinging indictment of an organization that is failing to protect its most valuable asset.

However, the most explosive development involves what many are calling the “Wristband Sabotage.” During the game, Fox sideline reporter Allison Williams noted that the team had to remove and “tweak” Sanders’ play-call wristband early in the game. What followed was a masterclass in contradictory storytelling that has led the Cleveland media to conclude that someone is lying. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski claimed there was a “miscommunication” and suggested “something got on” the wristband—a bizarre excuse that left reporters scratching their heads. Meanwhile, Sanders himself claimed the card simply “fell out.” The inconsistency is glaring. When a head coach and his quarterback can’t agree on why the play-calling system failed, it points to a deep-seated dysfunction that threatens to derail Sanders’ entire career.

The fallout from this game has been so severe that even the professional media members who cover the Browns have “quit.” In a stunning moment of candor, a prominent media member admitted to stopping his game notes in the third quarter because it was obvious the players had laid down. “The Browns have quit, and so have I,” he stated, highlighting a lack of intelligence, toughness, and accountability that he believes falls squarely on the shoulders of Kevin Stefanski. The sentiment in Cleveland is clear: the locker room has been lost. The players are no longer fighting for their coach; they are making “business decisions” and simply waiting for the clock to run out on the season.

The “King of Excuses” label has now been firmly attached to Stefanski. Every week brings a new explanation—injuries, depth issues, “the back half of the roster”—yet other teams in similar situations, like the Titans or the Jets, have managed to outperform and even defeat the Browns. The media is no longer buying the rhetoric. When Bitonio is seen on the field desperately trying to calm his teammates down while chasing an interception, it’s a visual representation of a team in total disarray. The leadership vacuum at the top is being filled by chaos, and the rookie quarterback is the one paying the price in physical hits and public scrutiny.

What makes this situation heartbreaking for the Cleveland faithful is the wasted potential of Shedeur Sanders. By all accounts from his teammates, Sanders has been the ultimate professional. He hasn’t thrown the coaches under the bus for the wristband debacle or the atrocious play-calling. He hasn’t complained about the drops from his receivers or the revolving door on the offensive line. But as Bitonio implicitly suggested, how is he supposed to improve if the environment around him is designed for failure? The veteran guard’s plea for the team to “improve around him” is a desperate cry for a coaching staff that can actually put the quarterback in a position to succeed.

The “wristband scandal” is more than just a technical glitch; it is a symbol of the Stefanski era’s collapse. Whether it was the wrong plays being loaded or a failure to communicate, it highlights an inexcusable level of incompetence at the professional level. Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe noted that in 14 years in the NFL, he had never heard of such a thing. If the coaching staff can’t get a wristband right, how can they be expected to navigate the complexities of a rookie’s development?

As the Browns head into the final three games of the season, the question is no longer about wins and losses, but about survival. Jimmy Haslam faces a choice: continue to back a head coach who has lost the trust of the locker room and the media, or make a change before the “culture of quitting” permanently damages Shedeur Sanders. The players have spoken through their effort, the veterans have spoken through their “subtle” critiques, and the media has spoken by walking away. The “Super Bowl of Excuses” must end, or the Browns risk losing more than just a season—they risk losing their future.