Cleveland Browns, WKNR (850 ESPN Cleveland) Partner To Support Build The Bridge High School Football Program

Building Bridges

GOOD KARMA BRANDS Sports WKNR-A (850 ESPN CLEVELAND)/CLEVELAND and the CLEVELAND BROWNS are partnering to support BUILD THE BRIDGE, a high school football initiative, through the #BeTheSolution campaign inspired by BROWNS EVP/Football Ops ANDREW BERRY. The team and station will support the initiative, founded by CLEVELAND HEIGHTS coaches MAC STEPHENS and KAHARI HICKS and BEACHWOOD HIGH SCHOOL coach and AFRICAN-AMERICAN FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION Pres. DAMION CREEL, which brings players and coaches from predominantly white teame together with players and coaches from predominantly Black teams.

850 ESPN CLEVELAND will highlight teams in the program during its "BROWNS LIVE: TRAINING CAMP" daily programming, in place of the usual coverage of fans attending camp in the team's annual "Bring the Dawgs Out" promotion.

“Bridges connect people, and this initiative seeks to bring together coaches and players from predominantly black teams with predominantly white teams to have those uncomfortable conversations concerning race and social injustice,” said CREEL. “Football is and always will be the ultimate team sport that brings all races and cultures together in the same locker-room. BUILD THE BRIDGE was created to break down walls that separate us for no reason. At the end of the day we are all the same, and true conversations will reveal that.”
 
“Our team is passionate about providing resources to our community that advance both youth and high school football and social equality,” said BROWNS VP/Community Relations JENNER TEKANCIC. “We recognize the importance of dialogue and action, which makes our partnership with BUILD THE BRIDGE and its mission to bring people closer together through the game, that much more meaningful.”
 
“BUILD THE BRIDGE and what Coach STEPHENS, Coach HICKS and Coach CREEL have created is a great example of how sports can be part of the solution,” said GOOD KARMA VP and CLEVELAND Market Manager SAM PINES. “We are energized and honored to amplify the message from this great program.”
 
“If anything is ever going to change, the change will be made by our young people,” said 850 ESPN CLEVELAND "THE NEXT LEVEL" co-host EMMETT GOLDEN. “I’m extremely excited to watch the impact that this will have on our community and on our country.”

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