CLEVELAND — Just one day after signing a contract extension to remain in Cleveland for years to come, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski celebrated his spot in the community with the first event for his new foundation, the Keepers Foundation, held inside the team's stadium—a flag football camp for local kids.
Stefanski, his wife Michelle and their three children hosted the camp, which saw dozens of kids of varying ages invited out to the football camp to run drills, learn new techniques and make new friends along the way.
From footwork ladder drills to diving catches and flag evasion work, kids were coached up by volunteers on hand—and even some members of the Browns. Helping Stefanski out on the field was new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who showed up to support the Stefanskis, as well as quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson was a hit with the kids, who lined up hoping for an autograph or handshake from the Browns' starting quarterback. Watson, while limited in real throwing as he rehabs his shoulder injury, got a little light work in by throwing short passes to the kids in catching drills. Getting to catch a pass from an NFL quarterback was all the kids could talk about.
#Browns QB Deshaun Watson with light throwing work—a little different from the stuff in Berea. Today his work consisted of some flag football drill action at Kevin Stefanski's Keepers Foundation camp, which he showed up to support. pic.twitter.com/eTwj52Kfpc
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) June 6, 2024
The night was a way for the Stefanski family to give back to the community they've called home since 2020 and will continue to call home for the foreseeable future.
"Gratitude. The support, I can't say it enough, from the community, from the Browns, from Dee and Jimmy [Haslam], to everybody at the Browns have been so supportive in this. So we're just extremely grateful. We started this, this is year one for us, so we want to just have a couple events that people enjoy and have fun. And again, all for a good cause, but we're just extremely grateful for the support that we've gotten," Stefanski said.
Thursday's camp was the first event for the Keepers Foundation, with the second just a week away—Night Out by the Lake with Coach Stefanski & Friends, a fundraiser with an auction to raise money.
