The Browns hosted the fifth annual Black History Month panel at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Thursday. This year the panel's theme was 'sportsmanship and leadership.' The exclusive panel discussion was a celebration of Black History Month, made possible through the Browns First and Ten campaign and the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Youth & Education initiatives.
Browns Alumni RB Gregg Pruitt, WR Steve Sanders and S Felix Wright were able to #give10, by speaking to student-athletes from Cleveland Metropolitan School District. More than 100 students and coaches from John Adams, John Hay, Lincoln West and Whitney Young High School were invited to attend the panel.
These CMSD student-athletes were invited to attend as a reward for good attendance. The event is just one of many rewards and incentives that CMSD and the Cleveland Browns Foundation have offered as part of the "Get 2 School. You Can Make It!" attendance campaign.
Hosted at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton for the third consecutive year, the 2016 program was designed to engage multiple schools from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, with focus on the student-athletes and coaches in the discussion.
The three panelists and Canton radio host Kenny Roda, who moderated the session, were intriguing and motivating to say the least. Sound advice from the alumni came in doses related to the game, education and other important milestones. "Don't doubt yourself, the only thing you can do is prepare for the opportunity, and it will come along," Greg Pruitt said.
Male and female CMSD student-athletes and coaches were encouraged to incorporate the themes of sportsmanship, leadership and serving their communities into their daily lives in school and at home. Each individual could also pledge to #give10 on site, committing to volunteer for at least 10 hours to help their communities through the Browns First and Ten campaign.
Steve Sanders also spoke about being great on and off the field, being focused and acknowledging winning as well as losing as an intricate part of being a player. He said some of the best advice that a coach gave him was that "winning is fragile." He carried this sentiment with him as he continued on into his professional career and shares it with everyone he speaks to.
Both before and after the panel discussion, participants had the opportunity to tour the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Browns are dedicated to #give10 through the team's First and Ten initiative. Launched in June 2014, the Cleveland Browns First and Ten campaign is the team's community program, established to inspire fans to volunteer in and help their communities throughout the world by volunteering for 10 hours each year. Through First and Ten, the Browns are the only NFL club to promote a long-term volunteering program that unifies the team and its entire fan base, with the goal of impacting every individual's city across the globe, as well as the franchise's local community.
For more information, visit ClevelandBrowns.com/community or http://www.profootballhof.com/education/.
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