CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have named quarterback Baker Mayfield their 2021 Salute to Service Award nominee, recognized for his commitment to honoring and supporting military and veteran communities.
Mayfield was nominated for the award for his active involvement in "showing appreciation and honoring our armed forces.
Since 2018, Mayfield has participated in the team's Training Camp Miliary Appreciation Day, staying after practice and speaking with each military member in attendance, thanking them for their service, according to a news release from the team.
As part of the Browns Salute to Service First and Ten Tuesday event, Mayfield has helped assemble care packages for troops overseas and has recorded video messages for service members to show his appreciation for their service.
During the Browns home opener against the Texans, Mayfield warmed up wearing a pair of cleats he had custom-made to honor Ohio native and fallen Navy Corpsman Max Soviak, who was killed in a bombing while serving in Afghanistan in August.
RELATED: Browns QB Baker Mayfield honors fallen Navy Corpsman Max Soviak with custom cleats
"Baker is very excited to continue working with the USO of Northern Ohio for upcoming Browns Salute to Service efforts. The Browns believe he has made and will continue to make an impact in the military community," the Browns said in their nominee description.
Last year, Andy Janovich was the Browns' nominee for the award.
A panel will vote to select the recipient of the award. Finalists are scheduled to be announced in January, and the recipient will be recognized at NFL Honors, set to air nationally the week of Super Bowl LVI.
In addition to the award, USAA will donate $25,000 in the winner’s name to help support military members in all six branches. The NFL will match the $25,000 contribution and donate it to the winner’s military charity of choice.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
