BEREA, Ohio — On Thursday morning, Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones was getting ready to hit the road and head to Buffalo for their game against the Bills. But a few hours later, after some severe winter weather impacted the game plan and forced the NFL to move the game to a new location, what was going to be a snow game will now be a home game for Peoples-Jones.
Jones is Detroit born and raised. His baby pictures feature him donned in Michigan's maize and blue and the love for his hometown has never wavered—even after adopting the area's mortal enemy, Northeast Ohio, as his second home. With a large family less than three hours from Cleveland, Peoples-Jones is never too far away from loved ones.
In fact, his mom, Rosyln Peoples, travels to Cleveland for every one of her son's home games. Their relationship is one that has grown over the years and they're closer than ever, even when they're apart.
"She's turned into my best friend over the years, so my mom is everything to me. The lessons that she instilled in me when I was younger are some of the reasons why I'm doing my thing today," Peoples-Jones said. "My mom hasn't missed a game. A lot of my family, they travel pretty much to all my home games."
But on Sunday, they won't have to travel far to cheer Peoples-Jones on.
"I heard some things like, 'okay, the game might be moved to Detroit' and I heard that a couple of times," Peoples-Jones said. "I found out kind of late, found out probably later than everybody else. I wasn't checking my notifications. But when I did find out, everybody's excited."
On Thursday evening, an announcement was made that the game would be moved to Ford Field, a neutral location, due to the weather impacting Orchard Park. Both teams, rather than risk the dangers of the snowstorm, set to travel to Detroit to play the AFC matchup.
While Peoples-Jones missed some notifications, his mom was busy fielding the family's calls. When the news came in of the move, Peoples-Jones' loved ones back home began to ensure that the game was anything but neutral.
Rosyln Peoples has been organizing everything, so Peoples-Jones wasn't sure what kind of turnout he'd see from his family and friends back home. But his camp confirmed that more than 100 family members and friends are headed to Ford Field to support Peoples-Jones as he takes on the Bills.
For Peoples-Jones, he's happy to play anywhere—but won't downplay how special this new opportunity to play in Detroit will be for him.
"I was happy no matter if we played in Buffalo or Detroit. But it's definitely special that we are playing in Detroit," Peoples-Jones said. “You always see players that go to their hometown and play and it's always like a special game. So, for me, I feel like this is my special game. How many times do we actually get to play into Detroit?"
Detroit will always be home for Peoples-Jones. It's where he grew up and where his family still resides. It's a special city to him and everyone he loves.
"I feel like I know everybody here. So, like, every time I go somewhere, I run into somebody from elementary, middle school, high school or some family friend," Peoples-Jones said.
But after spending nearly three years in Cleveland, this city has become just as special in his heart. And he hopes to help the Browns win on Sunday, not just for his city of Detroit, but for his city of Cleveland, too.
"Cleveland reminds me of Detroit in so many ways. So being here, I really do feel like home. I was telling my mom that the other day, this feels like home," Peoples-Jones said. "Let's go, back to Detroit. Let's have some fun. Hopefully, this is our best game."
Camryn Justice is a reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Twitter @camijustice.
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