BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns will turn Sunday’s home game against the Houston Texans into a day-long thank-you to the military, as the team hosts its annual Salute to Service game, presented by CrossCountry Mortgage, at Huntington Bank Field, the Browns announced in a team release on Nov. 12.
The Nov. 15 game is part of the NFL’s Salute to Service initiative, and the Browns said the day is meant to show the organization’s year-round commitment to service members, veterans and their families — a commitment the team has been putting on display all month, according to the release.
On Nov. 3, Browns linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, running back Raheim Sanders and alumni including Garrett Gilkey, Ben Davis, Frank Stams, Greg Pruitt and David Mays visited veterans receiving treatment at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center’s CARES Tower, sharing stories and taking photos, the team said. On Nov. 10, military families were invited to Huntington Bank Field with the Northeast Ohio Foundation for Patriotism (NEOPAT) for professional family photos, food and time together.
Game day starts at Dawg Pound Drive, where active-duty military members and veterans who show a military ID can receive an exclusive Browns and NJM Insurance knitted scarf at the Dawg House, and alumnus Felix Wright will sign autographs and take photos from 11 a.m. to noon, according to the release. Crown Royal’s Purple Bag Project will also turn its signature bags into care packages for soldiers and veterans.
Pregame ceremonies will feature a color guard from the Navy Talent Acquisition Group, Ohio River Valley, a T-6 flyover by the 8th Flying Squadron from Vance Air Force Base, and a full-field flag held by veterans and families invited by CrossCountry Mortgage during a national anthem performed by Sergeant First Class Temos Wooten, the team said. Former Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly will be recognized during the game, and Infantry Sergeant First Class Justin Marchand — a Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal recipient with 23 years of service — will be honored with an in-game retirement ceremony.
Representatives from all six military branches will sit in the Hats Off to Our Heroes Honor Row, in partnership with USO, and halftime brings an Army vs. Navy skills challenge with a grand-prize donation from CrossCountry Mortgage to the Fisher House Foundation or the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation, according to the release. Army members will also perform push-ups in the end zones after every Browns touchdown.
The Browns also announced that assistant team physician Dr. Benjamin Boswell is the club’s 2026 NFL Salute to Service Award nominee. Boswell, a University Hospitals primary care sports medicine and emergency medicine physician, continues to serve as an Army Reserve officer and has deployed to the Middle East three times, the team said. Fans can vote daily at NFL.com/SaluteFanVote through Nov. 30; the three finalists will be announced in January and the winner recognized at NFL Honors during Super Bowl LXI week.
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY