As DT Maurice Hurst II walked into the classroom at Orchard Park Academy with 10 hand-selected students across third through eighth grade, their faces lit up with excitement.
Hurst congratulated the students on their strong attendance throughout the fall semester of the 2024-25 school year and encouraged them to continue their diligence, noting how education lays the foundation for their future.
"I remember attendance being extremely important to my mom to make sure that I got to school every day that I possibly could," Hurst shared with the students. "Always a great opportunity to get to be with your classmates, get to be with your teachers, get to learn and get to build some life skills because these are important moments that you never forget."
After a question-and-answer session with the students, Hurst shared a special announcement.
Hurst explained that the students would be able to draw designs on a pair of cleats that Hurst would wear in Week 13 against the Broncos as part of the NFL's league-wide initiative My Cause My Cleats. He also shared that each student would be receiving their own version of Hurst's cleats as a pair of Nike Air Force 1 shoes. The faces of each student burst into smiles and began cheering with excitement at the news.
"It can be extremely challenging for these kids to show up to school every day and to have good attendance," Hurst said. "A lot of kids have different types of things going on at home, all come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, different families and different lifestyles. So, to be able to see these students go through all of that, to be able to be attentive in school and make it to school, it's extremely impressive."
Hurst walked around the room as the students began drawing designs on worksheets, talking with them about their interests and hobbies. He sat down with each table and the students asked Hurst questions about his favorite color and interests so they could include those elements in their designs.
"These kids were extremely talented," Hurst said. "Getting to draw with them, getting to talk with and spend time with them, you could see that those students were truly special and displayed what we're working towards – which is excellent school attendance and setting themselves up for future success. That was really important to me."
During Weeks 13 and 14 of the 2024 NFL season, players across the league have the opportunity to pick a cause important to them and represent that organization on a pair of custom designed cleats as a part of the league-wide initiative My Cause My Cleats.
My Cause My Cleats was first launched in 2016, creating a connection between the NFL and players and allowing them to create their art and represent philanthropic organizations, passions and movements through individual designs. This year, those participating on the Browns will wear their cleats in Week 13 when Cleveland faces the Broncos in Denver.
"It's super cool, especially to donate to a (program) where I get to see the exact results from it," Hurst said. "I get to see these kids in school. I get to see the teachers. I get to see the impact that it has on attendance overall throughout the Cleveland area. And it's really cool to not only be a part of something, but to get to see it through. I think that's something that you don't really get with very many foundations where you can also donate, but also get to have an impact on a day-to-day basis with the kids that you're donating towards."
Hurst also has another custom pair of shoes representing Stay in the Game! that he will wear as he walks into Monday Night Football in Denver.
Both pairs of shoes were designed by Jonathan Hrusovsky, the artist behind "Hrusovsky's Custom Kicks," a Cleveland-based venture specializing in hand-painted, one-of-a-kind designs on footwear and other sporting equipment. His portfolio includes collaborations with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, MLB All-Star Weekend and the Cleveland Guardians.
"It means a whole lot to me, just the fact that you're taking what these kids are creating, what's in their minds, and to be able to represent that for them does so much for me," Hrusovsky said. "Then the fact that these kids get their own shoes, same exact thing is gonna be amazing, too. They can walk around town saying, 'Hey, I designed a portion of this.' And so that's another thrill of mine as well."
It's the second year Hrusovsky has worked with the Browns as a part of My Cause My Cleats. Not only did Hrusovsky design Hursts cleats, but he also designed eight players' cleats and the three assistant coaches' shoes.
"It's meant so much to me growing up a Browns fan," Hrusovsky said. "I love football. To be able to do an NFL player's cleat is a dream come true, and to do year two of that is even better. And then the meaning behind it too. These are from young kids, inspiring young kids, great kids. They're doing amazing in school. And that just adds to it."
Hurst has been an ambassador for the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network and the Cleveland Browns Foundation beginning in 2024.
The Network aims to support students while striving to increase school attendance. The Network has now grown to 161 districts throughout the state of Ohio, with 108 of those districts within the Browns region. The Network, which provides support and resources to Ohio school districts with the goal of increasing school attendance and decreasing chronic absenteeism, now impacts 494,971 students. Districts within the Browns region make up half of the Network with 256,558 students.
Hurst has attended multiple events with Stay in the Game! dating back to the fall of 2023. He hosted a 'Gym Class Takeover' in Dec. 2023 as part of the Browns Flag In-Schools program and the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, which included an all-school assembly followed by a flag football clinic for the top 60 students with the highest or improved school attendance. This clinic offered hands-on instruction, football skills stations, contests and non-contact games in a high energy environment.
Then, in his first event as a Stay in the Game! Ambassador in the spring of 2024, Hurst visited Chardon Hills STEM School to congratulate the students for their great attendance during the school year. Students designed posters and received giveaways for their great attendance. Students lined the halls for Hurst and Chomps to run through the school interacting with everyone. He also stopped by selected classrooms to drop off some swag.
To kick off the 2024-25 school year, Hurst visited the Willard Campus of Breakthrough Public Schools to celebrate students who have had good or improved attendance with fun games and giveaways. Students played the what's in the box game and got the opportunity to ask Hurst questions during a Q&A. Hurst provided the students with snacks at the end of the visit.
Hurst attended another school visit with Stay in the Game! and in late November at Mary M. Bethune School, a part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. At the visit, he talked to the students about what they were thankful for ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and ended the visit playing a Thanksgiving themed bingo.
"It's incredibly valuable for us to have our player ambassadors leverage their platform for Stay in the Game! and be a voice for students to look up to," Vice President of the Cleveland Browns Foundation Renee Harvey said. "Mo's dedication to championing attendance and his genuine passion for supporting students in our community make him an ideal representative for this important work."
Hurst decided to become an ambassador because of memories from when he was in school, and the role school played in his life. Hurst said school was important to his mother, Nicole Page, because she did not complete college. Yet, throughout his childhood, she placed an emphasis on learning and working towards earning a college degree.
When Hurst was in school, he said the Harlem Wizards, a show basketball team, visited his school. He recalled receiving posters and going home to show his mother, sharing how important it was to him that they came to visit his school.
"I just remember being a young student and having someone come visit me, and feeling as if someone really cared about me that I could look up to," Hurst said. "And for me, it's trying to be that person and trying to help inspire them to do what that their mind wants them to do."
He also thought about the impact that the teachers had on his education and overall success and wanted to do his part in providing encouragement to students to preserve in school. Hurst recalled back to his elementary school years and his first-grade teacher, Ms. McCabe, as one of those teachers who had a significant impact on his education.
"She was extremely hard on me as a teacher," Hurst said. "I remember I was one of the students that had to wear glasses, and I didn't always put them on, but she would always get on me about wearing them consistently. She always made sure that I had my homework done. She was always putting a lot of time towards me. I definitely felt like I had a teacher who truly had a passion for what she was doing, and that's honestly been one of the best parts of being a Stay in the Game! ambassador — not only seeing these students, but seeing the teachers that are putting forth that effort into them, and you can see the level of respect and wanting to teach these kids something truly important."
In his time as an ambassador, he's been able to form personal connections with the students he's visited and hear their stories about attending school. He's been able to encourage students throughout the school year to continue their efforts of attendance and see the work that the teachers and the administrators put in each day to inspire their students.
"To get to spend time with these kids one-on-one is really cool because I feel that they get to see me as a person and not only as a football player, and that we have all sorts of the same interests," Hurst said. "It's cool to get to spend time with them and talk to them just as humans and get to connect on a personal level. It's really special to have those bonds and you never really forget those students that you get to connect and spend time with."
