CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns hosted some of their smallest fans for some spooky fun inside Cleveland Browns Stadium Monday evening—holding their second annual Halloween Fashion Show for young cancer patients with The Littlest Heroes and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s.
Former Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett started the event in 2022, and it was a hit. The Browns decided to bring it back this year and had a long list of players who wanted to participate.
Children and their families with both The Littlest Heroes and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s were invited to the event, which saw the kids dress up and not only get to go trick-or-treating but show off their costumes on the runway accompanied by a Browns player and announced by the emcee, Browns radio color analyst Nathan Zegura.
Here's who participated for the Browns in the fashion show and what they were dressed as (some guys decided to wear multiple costumes:
- Michael Dunn- Shark
- Maurice Hurst II- "Naruto" Akatsuki and Batman
- Greg Newsome II- Fred Flinstone and Cookie Monster
- Kareem Hunt- Astronaut
- Tanner McCallister- Super Mario
- Ogbo Okoronkwo- Buddy the Elf and construction worker
- Cedric Tillman- "Top Gun" Maverick
- Wyatt Teller- Giraffe
- Dorian Thompson Robinson- Scooby-Doo
- Dalvin Tomlinson- Harry Potter
- Anthony Walker Jr.- Boxer
- Luke Wypler- Scarecrow
"The Browns players that we watch on Sundays, they love our Cleveland fans, they love to be out in the community, and we know that there are some kids that might not be able to go out throughout their neighborhoods and trick or treat so they wanted to make it extra special by inviting everyone here to Cleveland Browns Stadium," said Jenner Tekancic, vice president of community relations.
After the fashion show, the kids got to take pictures and get autographs from the players. While the kids seemed happy about the opportunity, it touched the players as well.
"I remember being a kid and having NFL teams come by or NBA or whoever, and always looking up to them and thinking how amazing it was whenever they were in the community and things like that. So, it's something that I definitely want to continue to do and be out here with the kids and the youth and try to inspire them a little bit and give them some positivity," said defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II.
The kids made their rounds, asking the players plenty of questions, like what position they played, if they could come to one of their games and about the season so far. For defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, those are the kinds of moments he truly enjoys.
"You never know, like I say, what a smile can do for somebody, and just to come out here and give out some candy and just smile and sign some autographs for the kids, it means a lot to them. And especially because we're football players and they look up, they watch the games every Sunday—there was one kid who was asking me about the game last week and all that stuff. So it was super fun for me," Tomlinson said.
From special handshakes to fun poses and unique runway walks, the Browns players made sure each child felt comfortable as they made their fashion show appearance while having a great time.
The players saw how much this meant to the kids and made sure to embrace what is becoming a yearly tradition for the Browns at Halloween.
"It just tells you how much the organization cares about their community. And it means a lot for the players to come out here. We always come out and give back as much as possible when we can, and then it just matches up that we have free time too, so it just means a lot," Tomlinson said.
