CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. suffered a knee injury in practice this week and could be placed on injured reserve, another setback for the team's top draft pick in 2024.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said Hall got hurt during a drill on Thursday as the Browns (2-7) practiced in their indoor facility to get ready for Sundays' game at New Orleans.
Hall was ruled out this week against the Saints (3-7) and Stefanski said he's a candidate for IR, which would mean he would have to sit out a minimum of four games. Stefanski did not say if the 21-year-old Hall needs surgery.
A second-round pick from Ohio State, Hall's pro career has gotten off to a shaky start. He was arrested during the summer on a domestic violence charge that was later pleaded down to disorderly conduct.
Hall was placed on the commissioner's exempt list following the August incident and suspended five games by the league.
He made his debut in Week 6 against Philadelphia and was expected to get some playing time at defensive end the rest of this season following the Browns recent trade of Za'Darius Smith to Detroit.
On Thursday, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz talked about Hall's athleticism making him a versatile player and potential fit at end.
Hall was one of several younger players the Browns were hoping to further develop in what has become a disappointing season.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Mike Hall Jr., talks with reporters before a Cleveland Browns NFL football rookie minicamp, May 10, 2024, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A battery manufacturer has selected Kentucky for a nearly $712 million project to produce industrial-sized batteries used to store and distribute energy, a process seen as increasingly important to help secure a reliable electric grid for the country, officials said Friday.
The Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing plant will employ 1,572 workers once the project reaches full capacity, deepening Kentucky's ties to emerging battery technologies. Companies wanting to make batteries to power vehicles have announced projects expected to total nearly $12 billion in new investments and create more than 10,280 fulltime jobs in Kentucky.
“With this investment, we’re putting our stamp on working to become just the battery capital of the United States,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in announcing the new project to be located in Shelbyville.
Production at the Shelbyville battery plant is expected to begin in late 2025.
The plant, a part of Canadian Solar Inc., will produce batteries used by utilities and other customers to store energy at large scale. The batteries are about 20 feet long, 8 feet wide and nearly 9 feet tall, the company said. They can be paired with solar, wind or other forms of electricity generation and are seen as playing a crucial role for both a green energy future and a secure power grid as demand for electricity continues to grow in the U.S.
The batteries can keep a steady flow of power when sources like wind and solar are not producing. For example, when people are sleeping and thus using less electricity, the energy produced from wind blowing through the night can be stored in batteries — and used when demand is high during the day.
“Energy storage is a crucial part of the new and evolving electricity grid," said Shawn Qu, chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar. "Battery cells are the heart of a utility-scale energy storage system. This project will put Kentucky at the center of the effort to build a robust and secure electricity grid for this country.”
Canadian Solar has a global presence in the design and production of battery energy storage systems for utility-scale applications. Kentucky's ties to the company will only strengthen the Bluegrass State's role in the energy sector, Beshear said.
For centuries, Kentucky coal helped power the nation. Now, the Shelbyville plant will produce batteries used across the country to help ensure a reliable flow of electricity for consumers, Beshear said.
“This is energy security for the United States," the governor said. "It’s in our national security. And this company choosing to do it in Kentucky means we’re going to be a part of providing that security for the entire country’s infrastructure and in the grid.”
The battery factory will be the largest economic development project in Shelby County's history and ranks as the third-largest jobs project announced during Beshear's nearly five-year tenure as governor.
Shelbyville Mayor Troy Ethington called the project a milestone for his community, located just east Louisville. It will become Shelby County's largest employer, creating new opportunities for residents, he said. The company said it is committed to hiring locally to fill the jobs. The Shelbyville facility also will include a research and development lab to help advance battery technology, the company said.
“This investment ensures more Kentucky families will thrive, and that the commonwealth’s incredible economic momentum continues,” Beshear said.
State officials offered a package of performance-based tax incentives for the battery project, tied to the company's investment, job creation and employee wages, the state said.
CORRECTS IDENTIFICATION TO ANDY BESHEAR FROM DAN ISON - Colin Parkin, left, President of e-Storage, speaks with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear following the announcement of a $712 million project in Shelbyville, Ky., creating 1,572 skilled, high-tech jobs at the Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort, Ky., Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Colin Parkin, President of e-Storage talks about the announcement by Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing of a $712 million battery manufacturing project in Shelbyville, Ky., creating 1,572 skilled, high-tech jobs at the Governor's Mansion in Frankfort, Ky., Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, right, listens, as Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar speaks discusses the announcement by Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing of a $712 million battery manufacturing project in Shelbyville, Ky., creating 1,572 skilled, high-tech jobs at the Governor's Mansion in Frankfort, Ky., Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar speaks during an announcement by Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing of a $712 million battery manufacturing project in Shelbyville, Ky., creating 1,572 skilled, high-tech jobs at the Governor's Mansion in Frankfort, Ky., Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar speaks during an announcement by Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing of a $712 million battery manufacturing project in Shelbyville, Ky., creating 1,572 skilled, high-tech jobs at the Governor's Mansion in Frankfort, Ky., Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, joined by local and executives with Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing a $712 million battery manufacturing project in Shelbyville, Ky., creating 1,572 skilled, high-tech jobs at the Governor's Mansion in Frankfort, Ky., Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
