EUCLID, Ohio — Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II has been active in the community since joining the team. On Thursday, he attended his first Stay in the Game event as an official ambassador.
Hurst took a trip to Chardon Hills STEM School in Euclid on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the school's good attendance. The day began with a meeting with a small group of kids whom Hurst took pictures with, signed autographs for and took some time to speak to about the importance of school.
"To have such great attendance is just a testimony to them and then also the parents of these kids to get them there every day and just have them set up for success," Hurst said. "And that's the biggest thing is once you get to school, that's just one piece of the pie and just really helps to progress their lives and progress their learning and just help them out for their future."
After meeting with the small group of kids, Hurst made his way through the entire school. Students lined the hallways before the end of their school day as Hurst ran through the hallways, high-fiving each kid as he passed through.
"It was like Sunday Night Football, like the biggest game of the week and it was just electric. The kids had a ton of energy," Hurst said. "I'm trying to get them out there before one of our games."
While Hurst had fun with the school of children, he's also hopeful they take away a lesson in the importance of being in school. He plans to continue spreading this lesson as an official ambassador for the Stay in the Game program, a statewide movement and learning network that aims to "dramatically improve student attendance."
