CLEVELAND (AP/92.3 The Fan) — The agent for Peyton Hillis said that he advised his client not to play recently with strep throat.

In an interview with Tom Withers of the Associated Press, agent Kennard McGuire said Hillis was too sick to play in the September 25th game against Miami.

“I would give him the same advice to him or any of my clients as if he were my son,” McGuire said in a phone interview. “The game is physical enough, and the way Peyton plays the game, he needs all the elements of his physical game. Him being sick, and the level of his sickness, is the equivalent of being injured.

“Not only could he have hurt himself but he could have hurt his team. Nobody embodies Cleveland like Peyton Hillis. If anyone wants to point a finger, point it at me.”

Prior to Sunday’s game with Tennessee, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that some players in Browns‘ locker room wondered if Hillis’ contract situation was a factor in him deciding not to play.

McGuire, like coach Pat Shurmur, was disturbed that if there were teammates who felt that way, they should have had the “courage” to speak out publicly.

“That shouldn’t be an issue,” Hillis said when asked about the report. “That’s not an issue in my brain. I’ll go out there and I’ll play. But if I know I’m not 100 percent and I can hurt my team, I’m not gonna risk myself.”

Shurmur said Monday that Hillis was not “punished” for missing the game after receiving 10 carries in a 31-13 loss to the Titans that saw Colt McCoy set franchise records for passing attempts and completions in a single game.

“I think there’s a lot going on with that question or comment, but that’s not the case,” Shurmur said. “He played and he was a contributor (Sunday). I think what’s being talked about is something that happened two weeks ago. In my mind, it’s not an issue and as we move forward I hope it becomes something that we don’t talk about.

“He’s our running back, we handed him the football, we threw it to him and he did a good job.”

When asked about his role within the Browns’ offense this season, after rushing for 49 yards against the Titans, Hillis politely deferred to the coaches.

“I’ve always found myself to be a rhythm guy,” Hillis said. “The game plan and what the coaches have decided, that’s what they want to go with. Being a player you have to follow the coaches’ orders and do what they tell you to do. You have to respect them.”

Shurmur spent much of his Monday afternoon press conference addressing the Hillis speculation.

McGuire also said that Hillis, who rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, has been affected by the ongoing contract talks and feels under appreciated.

“He’s human, of course it’s on his mind,” said McGuire, adding he has been in “constant contact” with the Browns. “Would it affect him being a pro? No. Does he feel underappreciated? Yes. He’s human. We all in life have a perceived value of our worth now, but we do believe that he’s deserving of something that mirrors his production of last year.”

Hillis also caught 61 passes last season and became the first player in franchise history to rush for more than 1,000 yards, make 50 catches and score 10 TDs in the same season.

In three games this season, Hillis has rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 53 carries.

Shurmur said that the team would never limit Hillis’ role because of an on going contract dispute.

“Absolutely not, absolutely not. I think that’s a non-issue,” Shurmur said. “I think what you look at; you look at the game, you look at how it gets played out and at the end of the game you sit and look at a piece of paper that talks about what happened in the game. Well, the game changes as the score changes and we did some things where the score got stretched out on us, and you naturally now are trying to race yourself back into the game and a lot of times that involves throwing it. I would never think of throwing the ball 61 times. For some folks that might be fun, I would never do that if we’re in a situation where it’s different.”

Prior to the Browns’ season opener Browns President Mike Holmgren said that the team was “trying like crazy” to resign Hillis.

McGuire said both sides would like to reach a contract agreement “but are not aligned” on the value of a deal.

“Both the Browns and I are in constant communication,” McGuire said. “The fact that the Browns are in contact sends a message that both sides want to procure an agreement. It’s just that we are not aligned at this time as to what that value is. Details of these talks will always remain between me and the organization.”

The Browns have already signed Joe Thomas, Ahtyba Rubin, Evan Moore and Chris Gocong to contract extensions.

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