CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns running back Peyton Hillis told The Plain Dealer on Friday that a report stating he told Browns coaches he contemplated retiring as recently as the end of the season and pondered joining the CIA was absolutely false.

"It makes me sound insane," Hillis said.

Set to become an unrestricted free

agent March 13, Hillis said he thinks someone gave the story to ESPN to try to devalue him in free agency.

"That's ridiculous," he said. "I never one time mentioned anything to any coach about retirement or joining the CIA or anything like that. It's 100 percent false. I don't know who came up with a story like that, but they should've come up with a better one to make it sound more legit."

He acknowledged the report has hurt his reputation nationally -- that and the fact he fired his third agent in a year Wednesday.

"Someone is trying to downplay my name," he said. "I really don't cause a big ruckus. I pretty much keep my mouth quiet and go about my business. It was a rough year, and I expected to come out here and be prepared for free agency or whatever the case may be. Right now, to have this stuff kind of hanging over your head, especially when it's 100 percent false, it's kind of rough."

Hillis said coach Pat Shurmur saying Thursday night that he never heard anything about Hillis' retirement or joining the CIA proves his point.

"Whoever came up with the story should get their facts straight," he said.

"You'd think if one coach would know, the other would know. That tells you right there it's false."

He said he has also been portrayed as erratic because he fired Kennard McGuire, his third agent in a year, on the eve of free agency. Hillis has yet to decide on a new agent and must wait five business days before hiring one. McGuire was the agent who said he advised Hillis not to play with strep throat, which made some teammates feel it was a contract-related absence.

"My priority was to find an agent that could get a deal done with the Browns," said Hillis. "I've said all along that this was where I wanted to be, and I wanted to work with someone who had a good relationship with the Browns. We kept Kennard all year, but things weren't getting done between him and the Browns."

Hillis said he fired his first agent, Jimmy Sexton, because he was interested in more from the marketing side. "Jimmy was a great agent," he said. "There was nothing wrong. [But] with the whole Madden cover thing, if they hadn't reached my brother [and business manager], Kyle, I probably wouldn't be on the Madden 12 cover."

He said he then signed with Oklahoma-based agent Kelli Masters for a brief time.

"She had a good head on her shoulders and she worked really hard for me, but we felt at the time she hadn't done too many big contracts," Hillis said. "We felt like this was the biggest time of our lives, and we've got to make sure we had the right person going in. It was nothing against her."

Hillis said he showed up for training camp and tried not to talk at all about the contract, but that he kept getting asked about it. "My plan was just to come in, work hard and play hard like I always do," he said.

He said things all went downhill when he sat out the Miami game with strep.

"I showed up at [Cleveland Browns Stadium] sick, I had lost 15 pounds, I had a fever, I was throwing up and delirious and they sent me home," he said. "And before I knew it, people were questioning my toughness. The Browns were the ones that sent me home. That was really tough. I've played with broken ribs, a sprained [medial collateral ligament], a pulled hamstring and stuff like that. No matter how bad it made me look, I still played. After a while, it all took its toll. That was a really tough time."

Despite the tumultuous season, Hillis would love to return to the Browns, and Browns General Manager Tom Heckert confirmed this week they would re-sign him at the right price.

"I've always loved this city, and I still do love it, and I still want to play for the Cleveland Browns," Hillis said. "I'm not sure who wants me there and who doesn't want me there. It's out of my hands at this point. They've said they might want to re-sign me. If I was this horrible person, if I wasn't tough and if I was that big of a mental case, why would they still want to sign me?"

He said he would even take a hometown discount to remain here.

"Yeah, of course [I would]," he said. "It just depends on what they want to do. When free agency gets here, I'd love to hear them out."

He said he expects he will hit the free-agent market March 13 at 4 p.m.

"At this point, it looks like I'll have to," he said. "I heard they just franchised [kicker] Phil Dawson -- and I'm happy for him. I think they want me to test the free-agent market and see what I can do out there."

He said he's not sure which teams will be interested in him.

"I would think there would be [teams]," he said. "I think I've proven myself to be a hard-nosed back that can get the tough yardage, and I think some teams will appreciate that."

He said reports that he was asking for the moon were erroneous.

"It was nowhere near what people thought it was," he said. "I wasn't asking for $7 million a year. At one point, the Browns offered $25 million or $26 million over four or five years, but it was only about $1.2 million a year in the first three years. Then it was backloaded with a large amount that wasn't guaranteed. It wasn't the money, it's just how it was structured."

He said he knows he can put 2011 behind him and return to the Hillis that lit up Cleveland in 2010 with 1,177 rushing yards and 11 TDs on the ground.

"I love this game," he said. "I'm in the prime of my career. I think I have a lot of potential, and I don't see myself slowing down anytime soon. I'd love to get back in a Browns uniform, but wherever I go, I think I'll make a splash."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

On Twitter: @marykaycabot