Cleveland Browns: An opportunity to embrace Earnest Byner
By Peter Smith
The Cavaliers Championship should offer some closure for former Cleveland Browns running back, Earnest Byner.
This morning, Cleveland is hosted around a million people for the parade celebrating the Cavs NBA Championship. As LeBron James mentioned Sunday evening after securing the city’s first championship in 52 years, it should be the biggest party in Cleveland’s history.
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In exorcising the demons from their sporting past, one of the people who will be part of the celebration in downtown Cleveland will be former Browns running back Earnest Byner. Byner, who had a long, productive career in the NFL, is largely remembered for ‘the fumble’ against the Denver Broncos in the 1987 AFC Championship.
One of the classiest players ever to don a Browns jersey, Byner sat there after the game and answered every single question from the media. Byner’s passion and humility was so moving that it forced then-Browns owner Art Modell to have one of his best moments when he hugged Byner and noted that the Browns would never have been in that game had it not been for Byner.
To Modell’s point, Byner contributed 15 carries for 67 yards along with seven receptions for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the game.
After one more season with the Browns, Byner was traded to the Washington Redskins. Byner was selected to the Pro Bowl in back to back years including the ’91 season when the Redskins won the Super Bowl; the last time a major sports franchise from D.C. has won a championship.
It would’ve been easy for Byner wrap his identity up in the Redskins far more than with the Browns, given that’s where he enjoyed the most success as a pro, but Byner’s never tried to divorce himself from Cleveland.
Some may criticize Byner for his loyalty to Modell, but Modell gave him a home for nine of his fourteen seasons in the NFL, stood by him in the worst moment of his career and then gave him a job as Director of Player Personnel with the Baltimore Ravens after he retired. Much like with Ozzie Newsome, it’s difficult to blame him.
For anyone unclear how much Byner cared about Cleveland and the Browns, he crystallized it in the recent 30 for 30 film ‘Believeland’. Byner cemented his legacy as a Cleveland athlete when he tearfully apologized to fans, teammates and anyone else for what he deemed letting them down for the fumble. 29 years later, he was able to transport himself back to that game and that moment.
It was the most anticipated part of the film and caused some to reevaluate their feelings for Byner. So many who only remembered Byner for the fumble had to see a man bear his soul to them, showing them he wanted to give them a championship as bad as anyone.
It shouldn’t have taken almost three decades for some to realize that Byner wanted to win for Cleveland so badly and how this has haunted him. He was a good player for the Browns and given how much he’s suffered for his mistake, it’s gratifying that he was able to bounce back and win the Super Bowl with Washington. That play might’ve destroyed a lesser man than Byner, which is further testament to how strong he’s been.
Even now, Byner is trying to help the Browns, working as a guest coach as part of Hue Jackson’s effort to embrace the franchise’s past for the sake of the future. Many former Browns players have come in as guests and spoken to the team, but Byner has been going the extra mile working with the Browns’ running backs.
32 years ago, Byner entered the NFL as a 10th round draft pick out of East Carolina. His skill set was similar to current Browns running back Duke Johnson. Byner was a dual threat player that gave the Browns running attack an added dimension. That offense is noteworthy for having Byner and Kevin Mack each run for over 1,000 yards in 1985.
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Today is the Cavs’ day and they deserve all of the credit and celebration for it. But given the fact that Byner will be a part of the parade, it’s an opportunity for Cleveland to remember Byner for what he wanted to be for the Browns and for Cleveland and embrace him. Byner has showed the very best of himself to Cleveland and now Cleveland has a chance to do the same for Byner.