Xenith, Browns HELMETS program provides 350+ helmets to Northeast Ohio football programs

July 31, 2020 (DETROIT) -- Through the HELMETS program, presented by Meijer and in association with University Hospitals and Xenith, the Browns announced the most recent recipients of new Xenith football helmets – Nordonia High School (100 helmets), Fairport Harding Middle School (100), Mansfield High School (86) and Hudson Middle School (86).

During a special event this morning, highlighted by a message from Nordonia alumnus and Pro Bowl CB Denzel Ward, the Knights football team was surprised with the new equipment.

“The Browns are incredibly proud to support youth and high school football participation across Ohio, including through the HELMETS program that supplies new equipment to deserving programs who participate in USA Football’s certification training,” said Vice President of Community Relations Jenner Tekancic. “We thank all of the coaches, players and our partners – Meijer, University Hospitals and Xenith – for their continued commitment to promoting the health and safety of youth athletes, as well as for inspiring a love of football.”

Since 2017, HELMETS has issued nearly 2,200 helmets to eligible youth and high school football programs. During the past six years, the Browns have provided multiple local teams with more than $500,000 in donations for this equipment through HELMETS and direct contributions from the team, as part of its dedication to assisting the development, safety and growth of the game in the state.

HELMETS aims to advance player safety by awarding Ohio football programs with $25,000 in new five-star Xenith helmets, as recognized by Virginia Tech’s helmet ratings. To help further promote health and safety, each program must enroll in USA Football’s medically endorsed Youth Football Certification course. The certification clinics educate coaches about concussion recognition and response protocols, proper equipment fitting, shoulder tackling, heads up blocking, heat emergency preparedness and hydration and sudden cardiac arrest.

Teams or leagues receiving donations through HELMETS are selected randomly. For more information or to register a local program, visit: https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/community/youth-football/high-school-programs

As part of their health and safety efforts, University Hospitals has also worked with the Browns to cover costs for more than 1,500 high school football coaches to become USA Football Heads Up Certified each year since 2016.

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About Xenith

Xenith creates top-rated football helmets, non-tackle headgear, equipment, and apparel designed to elevate the athlete’s pursuit. Their athlete-first design approach is backed by rigorous science, engineering, and innovation which transcends laboratory testing to address on-field needs. Xenith outfits the athlete from head to ankle in a suite of performance products for playing, training and living.

All Xenith helmets are Five-Star rated on the Virginia Tech Helmet Ratings System, and score in the “Top-Performing Group” of the NFL Helmet Laboratory Testing Performance Results. Xenith is committed to democratizing protection by making top-rated helmets, shoulder pads, and gear available at an equitable price point for anyone who wants to play football – from youth, to varsity, to the pros. Xenith’s training and compression apparel give athletes the extra edge they demand to take their game to the next level.

Xenith sees football as a force for good in the community and executes this vision with passion, purpose and pride.

About the Cleveland Browns and Browns Give Back

The Browns Give Back to Northeast Ohio with a commitment to education and youth football while engaging the community through the team’s signature First and Ten volunteer movement. For more information, visit www.clevelandbrowns.com/brownsgiveback.

Education – The Cleveland Browns are dedicated to improving the quality of education for students in Ohio by making investments that keep kids in school every day so they can succeed, highlighted by the “Get 2 School, Stay in the Game!” Network. The “Get 2 School” Network is a statewide initiative designed to promote the importance of school attendance and put an end to chronic absenteeism. The team engages local schools and promotes quality education by using attendance data and feedback from families to build a school-going culture, uncover and reduce common barriers to attendance and support engagement opportunities for students to thrive. To learn more, visit Get2School.org.

Youth Football – The Cleveland Browns are committed to assisting the development, safety and growth of youth and high school football throughout Northeast Ohio with year-round programming for players, coaches, officials and parents. Through camps, clinics and other initiatives, the Browns’ goal is to promote healthy, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of youth by enhancing opportunities for youth football participation and education.

First and Ten – Launched in June 2014, the Cleveland Browns First and Ten campaign is the team’s community program, established to inspire fans to #give10 and help their communities by volunteering for 10 hours each year. Through First and Ten, the Browns are the only NFL club to promote a long-term volunteering program that unifies the team and its entire fan base, with the goal of impacting every individual’s city across the globe, as well as the franchise’s local community. To date, more than 2 million hours of volunteering have been pledged through First and Ten. All Browns fans are encouraged to join the volunteering effort by signing the First and Ten pledge on the team’s website and by sharing their stories with #give10.