Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

CLEVELAND, Ohio- After beating the Carolina Panthers and lead quarterback Baker Mayfield 26-24 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina last Sunday afternoon to win their first away season opener in 28 years, the Browns lost their season home opener against the New York Jets 31-30 on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

Second string quarterback Jacolby Brissett, who is standing in for suspended first string quarterback DeShaun Watson, and who led the Browns to a win last Sunday against the Panthers, threw an interception in the fourth quarter with seconds on the score clock, and it was all over, a clear upset of the Browns by a team that has lost the last nine games in September over several seasons.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters during a televised press conference after Sunday's loss that the Jets simply played a better game.

"We win as a team, we lose as a team," said Coach Stefanski. "We lost, [and] didn't play a 60 minute game."

The Browns led nearly the entire game, before the Jets managed to erase a 13 point deficit with only two minutes remaining. First, rookie kicker Cage York missed an extra point. Then, Jets quarterback Joe Flacco found wide receiver Corey Davis to complete a 66-yard touchdown. After that, the Browns failed to recover an onside kick, all of it setting the stage  for the Jets to  takeover, which is what they did, including a 15-yard pass from Flacco to wide receiver Garrett Wilson that gave them the lead 31-30 with just seconds left in the game.

Once the Jets took the lead the Browns were unable to recover no doubt, particularly after Brissett made his first real mistake of the season, one that would bring a heartbreaking interception and a 31-30 game loss to a mediocre team that put up just nine points in Week 1 on a 24-9 lost against the Baltimore Ravens. How the Jets could gain 402 yards of offense and score 14 points in the final minutes of Sunday's win against the Browns is puzzling, sport pundits said after Cleveland's disappointing loss.

Browns fans were livid, though Brissett was not solely to blame, they said, adding that the Browns defense, while making some nice plays,  was not up to  par, to say the least.

Brissett, 29, is Black and was traded to the Browns this year from the Miami Dolphins. Absent an unanticipated shakeup or an injury, he is expected to remain as the stand-in quarterback for Watson, whom the Browns secured last year from the Houston Texans and handed a five year contract worth $230 million, though Watson is sidelined and is serving an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL's sexual misconduct and ethics policies.

The Browns, now 1-1 for the regular season, will play the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night, Sept 22 at 8:18 pm at FirstEnergy Stadium, a competition that is sure to have fans from both teams jumping up and down in their seats.

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief (Coleman is a former biology teacher and a seasoned Black journalist, and an investigative, legal, scientific, and political reporter who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio).

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Led  by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, the city of Cleveland is seeking proposals for a vendor to lease, revitalize, and manage operations of the historic Highland Park Golf Course at 3550 Green Road, which is located in the largely Black village of Highland Hills but is owned by the city.

Vendor responses are due by Oct. 20.

First opened in 1928, Highland Park Golf Course is a 36-hole golf course operated by an external management company. The mayor wants a tournament-ready course and a leader in community impact and sustainability.

"This course has a rich history of promoting diversity in the sport of golf," said Mayor Bibb, the city's fourth Black mayor and a progressive mayor who took office in January by beating the old guard. "As the golf course nears its centennial, this is an opportunity to elevate it as a premier public course for locals and a destination for golfers across the country,"

Operating costs for the pay-to-play golf course have climbed from $120,000 in 2018 to $683,000 last year, city officials say,  closer to the $1 million a year needed to maintain and operate the place. The golf course began gaining momentum last yearafter a slump where the city was losing money on the facility.

As the only public course near Cleveland's east side, Highland has historically been a welcoming course for minority players in an overwhelmingly White sport. The Sixth City Golf Club, which was established in1946, and Forest City Golf Club were two pioneering African American golf leagues that played primarily at Highland Park.

The course also hosted the inaugural PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship in 1987, at which African American golf stars, including Lee Elder, Charlie Sifford, Calvin Peete, Jim Dent, and Renee Powell, held free golf clinics for the community. Sifford, known as the "Jackie Robinson of golf" and first black golfer to play and win on the PGA tour, claimed Highland Park as his home course for a time.

During the PGA Tour's Cleveland Open in 1964 and 1965, the course welcomed golf greats like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tony Lema.

"As a young man, this was the first place I played golf," Mayor Bibb said. "It would bring me immense pride to restore the course and create a professional tournament-level course while maintaining it as a space for Black golfers, both aspiring and seasoned, to enjoy."

The city is seeking innovative ideas to re-imagine the golf course for the next 100 years and for the course to continue its history of promoting diversity in golf by opening doors to the sport for new, young golfers from Cleveland and the greater Cleveland area by honoring its past as a predominantly Black golf course.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

Pictured is Cleveland Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -Led by second-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who is Black, the Cleveland Browns won their season opener against the Carolina Panthers and lead quarterback Baker Mayfield 26-24 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina Sunday afternoon, the first time the Browns have won an away season opener in 28 years.

Rookie Cade York kicked a 58-yard field goal with only eight seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter to give the Browns their first Week 1 victory since 2004, which was when they defeated the Ravens.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was ecstatic as he joined his players in the locker room after the game where he said determination was key to winning.

"What did we talk about Saturday morning?" asked Coach Stefanski. [We talked about] from start to finish, and we finished because we believed."

The Browns made the first two touchdowns of the game and were ahead 17-7 at halftime. But the Panthers, after trailing the entire game, rallied to a 24-23 lead by the end of the fourth quarter, York's last minute game winning field goal shocking Mayfield, and the stadium crowd.

Sports pundits said after Sunday's loss for Mayfield, 26, that it spoiled the Heisman Trophy winner's last chance at revenge against the Cleveland Browns.

It was an exceptional loss for Baker Mayfield in fact, given his checkered history with Browns franchise bigwigs. The Browns chose Mayfield first overall in the NFL 2018 draft and in 2020 he led the Browns  to their first playoff appearance since 2002 and victory since 1994. This was before the team traded him in 2022 due to a sloppy 2021-2022 season and inconsistent play and conflict with Browns management.

The Browns also played on Sunday with a new quarterback at the helm.

Jacoby Brissett, 29, was traded to the Browns this year from the Miami Dolphins. He played as the stand-in quarterback for Deshaun Watson, whom the Browns secured last year from the Houston Texans and handed a five year contract worth $230 million, though Watson is sidelined and is serving an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL's sexual misconduct and ethics policies.

Although running back Nick Chubb did not make any touchdowns like he usually does, he was a force for the Browns, finishing  with 22 carries for 141 yards. And Kareem Hunt compiled 34 yards on four carries plus 25 yards on two catches.

NFL superstar Myles Garrett, named to three Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pros during his NFL career, was the defensive star of the Cleveland game. He has two sacks was a dominating force, particularly in the first half, pundits said.

His  first time in a Cleveland Browns uniform, Brissett completed 18-of-34 attempts for 147 yards and one touchdown for the Browns as its season opener quarterback and Mayfield as a newcomer to the Panthers was 10-for-19 for 101 yards with four balls ripped at the line of scrimmage.

The Browns will play their season home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sun., Sept 18 at 1:00pm at FirstEnergy Stadium in downtown Cleveland.

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief (Coleman is a former biology teacher and a seasoned Black journalist, and an investigative, legal, scientific, and political reporter who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio).

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.