BEREA, Ohio — Family and football.
They are two very important things in the life of Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens, and he wants those associated with the organization to have the same level of appreciation for the sacrifices made by wives, girlfriends, children…and for one standout talent, the family dog, too.
Kitchens emphasized that point by slotting into the daily schedule of training camp a post-practice break for players to spend time with their families, which many of them did after the Browns wrapped up day two at team headquarters in Berea Friday.
“Families are welcome around here, and you will see more of that when we get through training camp and stuff like that, even during the season,” Kitchens said.
“We are inclusive. Families sacrifice a lot. Just like our fans -- somebody asked a question yesterday about our fans -- our fans deserve to come out and see us practice and our families do, too. Any moment we can get with them is pretty special.”
Browns left guard Joel Bitonio appreciates the break in the schedule to spend time with his family, especially his wife, Courtney, and seven-month-old daughter, Zoey Grace.
“It’s been amazing in every way possible,” Bitonio said of fatherhood. “It’s been cool. It’s only been six months to watch her grow. She’s sitting up and rolling over and I’m just like, ‘Every day she changes.’
“I’m nervous when I get back, she might not recognize me or she might be crawling or walking. It’s good to see her every day. I can check in on her. I think when she sees me in the football stuff, I scare her a little bit. I’ll try and take my helmet off or something before I run into her.”
While some players met with their significant others and children, Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett spent time with his dog, Gohan Benjamin, who has his very own Instagram account with nearly 10,000 followers.
“Families are always going to be embraced around here as long as I am here because the sacrifices you put on your family are tremendous,” Kitchens said. “Sometimes, coaches are just lumped into that, but the players are, too. They are in training camp.
“Myles did not sleep at home last night, so I am sure his dogs are missing him. Some of the other people did not sleep at home last night, so I am sure the kids are missing them. We want families to come out and see practice. When they do, they have a little bit of a break between practice and when we pick meetings back up and they can spend time with their families.”
Not sure “where it comes from,” Kitchens knows that family time is not going anywhere as the Browns continue their preparations for the 2019 season.
“I just know one way,” Kitchens said. “Those families sacrifice, and they are going to be a part of this as much as possible.”
