Cleveland Browns find giant inspiration from legless teen
CLEVELAND – Pounding his hands into the turf, Bobby Martin propelled his 3-foot body across the field the way he once chased high school quarterbacks.
Born without legs, Martin, wearing a Browns jacket and hat, slid into place in a single-file line of Cleveland players during pregame introductions before Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
CLEVELAND – Pounding his hands into the turf, Bobby Martin propelled his 3-foot body across the field the way he once chased high school quarterbacks.
Born without legs, Martin, wearing a Browns jacket and hat, slid into place in a single-file line of Cleveland players during pregame introductions before Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
As the NFL giants darted past, Martin reached up, slapped hands and screamed encouragement to his new friends. He no longer inspires by playing football. These days, Martin motivates simply by being himself.
“He was firing people up,” Browns safety Brian Russell said.
He always has.
Last weekend, Martin was invited to be a guest of the Browns, a team desperate for wins and one quickly coming apart at the seams.
A week earlier, Cleveland had been embarrassed 30-0 by the Cincinnati Bengals, a lospided loss made much worse by Braylon Edwards’ sideline tirade. The wide receiver was upset about the Browns’ offensive line and yanked at quarterback Charlie Frye’s jersey to prove his point.
That outburst set off red flags for some Cleveland fans, who wondered if coach Romeo Crennel had lost control. The Browns seemed to be unraveling fast.
Meeting Martin may have helped them get it together.
“I think it inspired some of the guys to feel different about what they consider to be their problems,” Crennel said. “Their problems are that they’re feeling bad and they didn’t catch enough balls, and here’s a guy who doesn’t have any legs who has a great attitude and who can still operate and play the game.”