Browns' WR Helps 100 Cleveland Kids Go to College

BEREA, Ohio, Oct. 10, 2007 — -- This is looking so much like the breakout season Braylon Edwards expected. The Cleveland Browns' third-year pro, never shy in desiring to be recognized among the elite receivers, has the videotape and statistical evidence that reflects a player of such a level.Edwards makes spectacular diving catches. He runs fearless routes over the middle. He blocks. He hustles. In a win against the Baltimore Ravens two weekends ago, the former University of Michigan star even led his home crowd in an O-H-I-O chant.

Yet for all the highlights and numbers — Edwards heads into Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins averaging an NFL-best 20.2 yards a catch for players with at least 15 receptions and ranks fourth overall with 485 receiving yards — it would be a shame to define this man merely as a football player.

Edwards, 24, pledged $1 million this year to Cleveland's public schools for 100 scholarships for children who might not otherwise be able to attend college — or, in some cases, provide incentive for students to further their education. Last year, in the midst of a five-year, $40 million contract, he created a $500,000 endowment at Michigan, the largest donation by a former athlete.

He is a man with a social conscious, serious about education and as self-assured as he is about his football skills when considering how and why he must make a difference.

"Growing up, I saw that there were a lot of kids who could do what I could do from an intellectual standpoint, an athletic standpoint," says Edwards, a Detroit native, "but they didn't have the push and motivation. … All that they were seeing around them was negative. And that's all they know. So my goal has always been to help if I was ever in a situation to do anything."

Through the Braylon Edwards Foundation he established the Advance 100, a program that selected 100 eighth-graders through an essay competition and promises to provide a $10,000 gift toward college costs. To collect, students must maintain a 2.5 grade-point average, perform 15 hours of community service and attend workshops and seminars.

The first workshop was held at Cleveland's Cuyahoga Community College in late September, where Edwards' father, Stanley, a former Michigan running back who played six NFL seasons with the Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions, was one of the guest lecturers.

Among topics at the first seminar: goal-setting, etiquette, communication skills and developing a support system.