The Cleveland Browns say they will look into controversial photos that were posted Thursday on wide receiver Davone Bess' Twitter account.
A photo, one of many Bess has posted to his Twitter and Instagram accounts since he left the Browns after their 14th game of the season, showed what appeared to be a cigar and a brownish green substance in a baggie atop a cell phone, with the word "Jah" on the face of the phone.
The image was posted at 7:20 a.m. At 10:56, Bess posted another photo of himself with what looked like a cigar in his mouth with this comment: "4evaThxful! If us see mi n traffic it all Gud'! #1 yah mon!" Bess is Rastafarian, and the religion's members smoke pot as part of their worship. In Rastafarian culture, Jah means God.
The photos have since been deleted from Bess' account.
Also seen in the tweet was a television which showed an image of drug kingpin Griselda Blanco, who served nearly two decades behind bars in the United States for drug trafficking and three murders. Blanco, known as the "Godmother of Cocaine," was shot to death in Colombia in 2012.
Marijuana remains on the NFL's list of banned substances and is still illegal in most states.
The Browns said the team is aware of the photos and would deal with the situation internally.
Bess was acquired via trade from the Miami Dolphins last April and given a contract extension and $5.75 million in guaranteed money by the Browns. He played in 14 games, then was not seen with the team again. It ended a disappointing season for Bess, who once was named the Dolphins' Man of the Year for his community work.
The Browns said Bess had "personal" reasons for missing the final two games, but shortly after he left the team a photo appeared on his Instagram account that showed him lighting what appeared to be a marijuana cigarette. On Thursday, Bess had a tweet that also has since been removed in which he referred to African-Americans using the N-word. During the season, Bess had said there never was an appropriate time to use that word.