The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Meet the man behind the Browns parade
Granville resident organizing procession, contingent on 0-16 record
The first thing Browns fans should know about Chris McNeil: He does not live in Cleveland. The 38-year-old — who is a single Browns loss away from orchestrating one of the most unusual events in the history of the franchise — currently lives in Granville, a suburb near Columbus. However ... “I connect more with Cleveland because of the sports more than anything else,” McNeil said during a recent phone interview.
It’s because of his passion for the Browns as a season-ticket holder that has McNeil on the doorstep of a parade unlike any other in the history of Cleveland pro sports.
If the Browns lose at the Steelers on Dec. 31 and complete an 0-16 season, McNeil’s “Browns Perfect Season 2.0” parade will go as planned Jan. 6. McNeil was set to put on a parade last season, but the Browns won their 15th game to avoid an 0-16 mark. They finished 1-15.
“I’m not trying to make fun of (the Browns’) legacy,” McNeil said. “This parade is more about everything since (1999) that has been so crappy. It’s about a shot across the bow to ownership, the front office.”
If the Browns beat the Steelers, all money raised through the event’s gofundme.com account will be donated to the Cleveland Food Bank.
McNeil’s roots as a Browns fan go back to when he was raised in Bath, a city near Akron.
He attended Revere High School and Miami (Ohio). Sundays in the fall and winter as youth were spent watching Browns games with his father.
“I’d just love to sit there on Sundays and watch,” said McNeil, who has three children ages 10 and younger.
That connection he felt with his father through the Browns isn’t there with McNeil’s kids, and that has him disheartened.
“I’ve tried to impart my love of Cleveland sports to my (kids), but it’s just different,” McNeil said. “My kids could care less about the Browns, and it’s frustrating.”
If there is a parade, here’s what those attending need to know:
• It begins at noon Jan. 6. The parade will consist of one lap around FirstEnergy Stadium beginning on Alfred Lerner Way, then looping around Erieside Avenue to West 3rd Street.
• As of Dec. 26, a gofundme.com account has raised $11,563. The goal was to raise $10,000.
• The pain reliever company Excedrin donated about $8,000 — according to McNeil, who said, “They were like, ‘You, Browns fans, you guys have been experiencing a lot of headaches with this team. Let’s go for it.’ ”
• Funds generated will go to the production of the parade,
McNeil said.
• The Browns have not contacted McNeil about the parade. “I don’t think they have any interest in any contact,” McNeil said.
• On the event’s Facebook page titled “Perfect Season 2.0” there are 3,300 people who have clicked the “going” button, with another 12,000 who are “interested.” Said McNeil: “The weather could be a game-changer. There’s so many variables. We could go from several hundred (attending) to several thousand.”
• Comedian Mike Polk will be a parade guest. There are 30 slots filled, according to McNeil. On display will be RVs, buses, pickup trucks and walkers that plan to carry headstones for every Browns
quarterback since 1999.
• According to McNeil, rapper Machine Gun Kelly has expressed interest in performing at the event, but he has not confirmed.
McNeil said he’s not rooting for the Browns to go 0-16, and that’s especially true for two important people in his life.
“My dad and my mom, their take is, ‘Please God, let the Browns win,’ ” McNeil said. “They do not want to have this parade at all.”
The biggest concern for McNeil’s mother is the safety of her son. He’s received several messages that have “concerned” him. Those are sent to the Cleveland Police Department. McNeil said he’s confident of the security in place should the event take place.