Browns offensive line coach won’t be charged for alleged assault

Cleveland Browns offensive line coach Andy Moeller will not face charges after a woman accused him of assaulting her earlier this month at his home in Berea, Ohio.

Moeller, 51, was being investigated for an alleged assault of a Maryland woman who called 911 on Sept. 5, and said she was his fiancee.

In a 911 call, the woman said Moeller "just tried to strangle me and beat me up and I'm leaving the premises and I've got to get out of here quickly."

Berea City Prosecutor Jim Walters wrote as part of a two-page decision Wednesday: "It is quite clear that an incident of a volatile nature took place between Mr. Moeller and (the accuser) on the evening of the call but what is less clear is the exact nature of the incident and the actions of the two persons involved.

"It is clear to me that the consumption of alcohol contributed significantly to the incident. According to the reports of the police officers responding to the call, both had been drinking."

Walters said he decided not to pursue charges because "beyond a reasonable doubt" is very much in doubt in this incident.

The accuser told Walters of a "road rage" incident when she and Moeller were leaving an Octoberfest event in which Moeller yelled out his window at another driver and she was fearful they would be pulled over by police.

Walters wrote that Moeller and his accuser had "different versions of the incident in the home which precipitated her departure; with her saying he became suddenly angry at her while she was on the phone with her son, and him saying she became upset as a result of that conversation.

"She says that in anger, he pushed her with his forearm and she was choked by the action, while he says that she became agitated during the phone call and swept items off a table or counter, and he was attempting to calm her and restrain her from further destructive actions. Both say that the other threw trash from the kitchen trash container 'all over the place' during this time."

After the incident was reported by police, the Browns suspended Moeller — in his second season with the team following six years with the Baltimore Ravens — indefinitely. Coach Mike Pettine said at the time that the entire situation is "disturbing."

The Browns said in a statement Wednesday that Moeller's suspension "remains indefinite.''

Moeller has had three alcohol related incidents since 2007, including a two-game suspension in 2011 for drunk driving when he was with the Baltimore Ravens. He was fined $47,000 by the NFL for that incident.

Assistant offensive line coach George DeLeone took over in Moeller's absence.