Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam smiles as he watches the first day of rookie minicamp May 8, 2026, at Cross Country Mortgage Campus in Berea, Ohio.
Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam smiles as he watches the first day of rookie minicamp May 8, 2026, at Cross Country Mortgage Campus in Berea, Ohio.
Jul 8, 2026, 4:12 AM CUT
Jimmy Haslam shares powerful message after Browns named finalist for ESPN Award
On June 29, ESPN named the Cleveland Browns as finalists for the ESPY Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award. As the franchise earned recognition for its community impact, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam shared a heartfelt message following the announcement.
“Being named a finalist for the ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award is a tremendous honor that reflects the dedication of everyone involved, from our staff, our players, our partners, and most importantly, the communities we serve," said Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam.
Since taking ownership of the Browns, the Haslam and Johnson families have made some serious restructuring to help the community.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Cleveland Browns Minicamp Jun 10, 2025 Berea, OH, USA Cleveland Browns managing and principal partner Jimmy Haslam watches during minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Berea CrossCountry Mortgage Campus OH USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKenxBlazex 20250610_kab_bk4_017
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Cleveland Browns Minicamp Jun 10, 2025 Berea, OH, USA Cleveland Browns managing and principal partner Jimmy Haslam watches during minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Berea CrossCountry Mortgage Campus OH USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKenxBlazex 20250610_kab_bk4_017
"Our family is so proud to call Northeast Ohio home and more motivated than ever to continue investing in the young people who make this region so special,” said Jimmy Haslam, as per the Cleveland Browns official website.
Their long-term investment in youth sports, education, and equal opportunities across northeast Ohio continues to empower students and strengthen communities both on and off the field.
What started as a single initiative has now spread across 19 fields throughout Northeast Ohio, making the Browns one of the NFL’s most extensive long-term youth sports infrastructure projects.
How Jimmy Haslam helped transform the Browns' community
According to the Cleveland Browns' official website, the turf developed by the team across the state now functions as outdoor classrooms for students.
Back in 2019, the Browns partnered with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and Harvard's Proving Ground for the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network.
That single initiative alone helped improve attendance for 612,000 students across 239 Ohio districts in 2025.
Over $23 million has been invested by the Haslam Sports Group in youth football since 2014, and these investments have helped increase regional participation by 163% since 2020.
"When we launched the field projects initiative in 2016, we wanted to make a meaningful investment into the communities across Northeast Ohio that deserve so much," said President Dave Jenkins, per Cleveland Browns. “Seeing schools, youth leagues, and communities come to these fields as a place where they can play, learn, and come together reminds us just how important it is to create spaces that are safe and accessible to everyone.”
Beyond the field, the Browns’ first and ten initiative encourages staff, players, and fans to complete 10 annual volunteer hours. According to the official website, 100% of the staff met the target in 2025.
The ESPY Sports Humanitarian Awards will be held on July 14. That said, what is your opinion on the Cleveland Browns and Jimmy Haslam?
Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community!
Written by
Suryakant Das
Edited by
Shubhi Rathore