CLEVELAND -- Jabrill Peppers has gotten off to a sluggish start this season.
And according to the Cleveland Browns safety and return man, he's been hearing it from fans.
In an interview with Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram on Wednesday, Peppers opened up about his relationship with Browns fans, who he says have harassed him at his local CVS Pharmacy.
“Oh, yeah, now they’re aggressive,” Peppers said. “My boy had to pull me away one time.”
The second-year player also proceeded to take aim at fans and media alike, claiming that he hasn't gotten a fair shake since being selected by the Browns with the No. 25 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
"That’s one thing I notice about Cleveland sports, you guys are very, very wishy-washy,” he told Petrak. “If it ain’t going right immediately, calling for heads, calling for jobs.”
One day later, however, Peppers appears to have taken on a different tune. Although he continued to insist that the in-person criticism from fans happens "a lot," he also stated that he didn't intend to direct his comments at Cleveland fans, but rather the general state of the NFL.
“I love the Browns. I love the city of Cleveland,” he said, per WKYC's Pat Chiesa.
Although Peppers admitted to feeling like more of a target because of where he went to college -- this is Ohio, after all -- any frustration from fans with the former first-round pick is more likely to stem from his production -- or lack thereof -- to this point in his Cleveland career. After a lackluster rookie campaign, Peppers has started the first four games of the 2018 season at strong safety, tallying 15 tackles and recovering one fumble.
His duties as the Browns' top kick and punt returner, however, have left even more to be desired. Through four games, Cleveland currently ranks 24th in the league in kick returns (19.6 yards per return) and 27th in punt returns (5.0 yards per return) with Peppers' questionable decision-making playing a large part in the lackluster output.
To his credit, Peppers -- who is celebrating his 23rd birthday on Thursday -- doesn't necessarily dispute the notion he's been underperforming. He just believes he's capable of providing more -- but until he does, he knows the noise surrounding him isn't going away anytime soon.
“Just play better," Peppers said. "That’s how to silence everything, so I’m not worried about it.”