Dawand Jones knows he has a weight problem. He just wants you to know he’s not alone.
After the Ohio State product’s second NFL season came to a premature end when he fractured his left leg in the Cleveland Browns’ 35-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show spent a segment discussing Jones’ outlook for 2025 and beyond. And despite the former All-American enjoying a promising — albeit inconsistent — start to his NFL career, Adam “The Bull” Gerstenhaber isn’t so sure he’s a player Cleveland can depend on, pointing to the 374-pound offensive tackle’s weight.
“Dawand is one of those players that you have to go into a season not counting on him. And if he’s there and he can play, OK. But you can’t rely on that guy because he’s got a weight problem that’s very hard to defeat,” Gerstenhaber said. “I don’t know him personally, so I don’t know. But most likely he has an addiction when it comes to food. And it’s very hard to overcome.
“And he’s probably going to gain a ton of weight dealing with this injury, I would not be surprised. And he has already in two years been hurt like four or five times. So there’s no way that the Browns can go into next season saying, ‘We’ve got our left tackle, it’s all set.’ You can’t do that.”
After being posted to social media, Gerstenhaber’s criticism made its way back to Jones. And in responding, the 23-year-old made note of the longtime Cleveland radio host’s own physical appearance.
“I think we both have a weight problem but I’ll be better this offseason,” Jones wrote.
I think we both have a weight problem but I’ll be better this offseason https://t.co/tgc2IBnTK3
— Dawand Jones (@dawandj79) November 20, 2024
Despite Jones’ attempt to “dunk” on Gerstenhaber, as the kids say, the reality is that the UCSS host was seemingly speaking from personal experience. Over the years, “The Bull” has been open about his own weight issues and attempts to overcome them.
That was very much evident in his reply to Jones’ response, in which he challenged the second-year offensive tackle to a weight loss battle.
“Sounds like a weight loss challenge to me,” Gerstenhaber wrote. “Maybe we can motivate each other.”
Sounds like a weight loss challenge to me. Maybe we can motivate each other. https://t.co/piQ1CCMrqE
— Adam the Bull (@adamthebull) November 20, 2024
Jones has yet to respond. But based on his initial reply, it appears Gerstenhaber already done his part when it comes to providing motivation — and perhaps vice versa.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.