On June 7, the Cleveland Browns club members hosted their inaugural “Cleveland for Christ” event. At the event, the players dedicated their lives to God and Lord Jesus Christ. 

The gathering saw players and community members participating in prayer, worship music and faith sharing.

"Two Browns players did exactly that. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger and running back Raheim Sanders were both baptized at Sunday’s event," Stephanie Martin of Church Leaders reported June 12.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, cornerback Tyson Campbell, safety Daniel Thomas, and rookie QB Taylen Green were among the players present at the event, along with team chaplain Nobles C. Darby. 

Schwesinger took this moment to share about his journey to the NFL, having attended a Christian high school in California. 

“One of the things I learned throughout the process, which is really comforting, is that God does not care how good I am at football,” said Schwesinger. “No matter what I do on the field, he’s more concerned with how I treat people, the person I am and how I show him to others around me.”

Raheim Sanders, the second-year running back of the Browns, has also been vocal about his faith on social media. Stephanie Martin of churchleaders.com shared that Raheim often posts Bible verses on Instagram and has written “GOD IS MY ROCK” in his Instagram bio.

Per Martin, the Browns’ chaplain, Darby explained that the “Cleveland for Christ” event was based on apostle Peter’s words in Acts 2:38 of the Holy Bible, which talks about repentance, baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit.

“I encourage my teammates, anybody around me, because I look at it like this,” said safety Thomas, challenging the attendees to share their testimony. “A lot of people are not going to church, so you might be the only Bible someone ever reads. It’s important how we carry ourselves on and off the field.”

Daniel Thomas and CB Tyson Campbell, whose connection goes way back to their days at the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined Chaplain Darby in leading portions of the worship event, which was free and open to the public. 

The Cleveland Browns have made headlines related to Myles Garrett’s trade, Joel Bitonio’s retirement announcement, Mason Graham’s injuries and now with the “Cleveland for Christ” event. The ongoing QB1 battle continues to be a key storyline.

Browns QB1 Competition Remains Wide Open

The Browns had their mandatory minicamp from June 9 to June 11. Head coach Todd Monken revealed that the battle for the QB1 spot still remains undecided and could go on till the preseason games.

“They’ve (Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson) played well enough to earn the right to compete to start,” said Monken on Tuesday. 

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler previously reported in May that Watson had the “leg up” over Sanders due to his experience.

With Sanders making progress, Fowler expects the top spot on the QB depth chart to settle after the training camp in July or after the preseason games against the Buffalo Bills.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore