Browns fans set to walk season off Second thoughts
A parade for an 0-16 team? That’s what could be in store for the Cleveland Browns should they become the second team in NFL history to lose all 16 games in the regular season.
According to The Associated Press, fans are planning to gather Jan. 6 at Cleveland’s FirstEnergy Stadium for “Perfect Season Parade 2.0,” a mocking celebration that has gathered momentum in recent weeks and is being partially funded by Excedrin, the headache medicine, which donated $7,683 to complete a $10,000 fundraising effort for costs.
Browns Coach Hue Jackson, whose team is 0-14, understands the fans’ frustration.
“They’re entitled to do what they want,” said Jackson, who fell to 1-29 as Cleveland’s coach after Sunday’s loss to Baltimore. “They have true passion about the Browns, and we really appreciate that. We haven’t been good enough. Let’s just be honest. That’s where we are, so everyone in our organization is working extremely hard to make sure that there’s not a parade.
“But we have to uphold our end of it and make sure that we’re winning. So I get it. Would it be disappointing if they had one? Yes. But at the same time, I do get it. We just haven’t been good enough to get all that kind of talk stopped.”
In October, Browns fan Chris McNeil, who has more than 66,000 Twitter followers, launched a GoFundMe account for the parade.
As of Monday, the event’s Facebook page said nearly 10,000 people were interested in attending and more than 2,500 said they will go.
The first team to go 0-14 in consecutive seasons, the Browns scuttled plans for a parade last year when they beat the then-San Diego Chargers on Christmas Eve and finished 1-15.
They need to win this week at Chicago or in Pittsburgh on Dec. 31 to avoid an imperfect season. The 2008 Detroit Lions are the only team to finish 0-16.