Cleveland Browns wide receiver Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi did not have anywhere to stay and he had to crash an NFL workout to prove that he’s worthy of being in the league. Now, the rookie from Phoenix College has a chance to make the initial 53-man roster as he returned a punt for a touchdown in the Browns’ preseason game against the Washington Redskins.
This man couldn’t afford a hotel, so he was sleeping outside. Then he talked his way into an NFL workout and earned a contract.
What a moment. 💰💰💰 pic.twitter.com/pTi3rdnlgJ
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) August 9, 2019
As you can see, the entire team was happy for Sheehy-Guiseppi because of the odds stacked against him.
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“I felt all the love,” he said after the game according to Cleveland.com. “I couldn’t breathe under the pile. I was over there gasping for air, but I felt all the love. I saw all of them come running down there (to the end zone) and it was just a blessing.”
And if that wasn’t cool enough, the cleats Sheehy-Guiseppi was wearing were from none other than his teammate Odell Beckham Jr. The rookie receiver said he misplaced his cleats and Beckham decided to give him his because he likes him.
Another cool twist on this story: Sheehy-Guiseppi told me he wore Odell Beckham’s cleats tonight. Says he had misplaced the ones he wanted to wear. Beckham, who has taken a liking to the kid, said, “Here, I broke these in for you.” pic.twitter.com/o41GIhGhBm
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 9, 2019
Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens was very happy for Sheehy-Guiseppi because he has put in a lot of work during training camp.
“It is good to see good people, hard-working good people succeed,” Freddie Kitchens said. “He definitely fits the bill with being that. If you stick around after any practice, you will see him on the practice field getting extra running in and before practice getting extra work in. He is always at the office. He is a good kid.”
Sheehy-Guiseppi played college football at Phoenix College from 2015-2016. Phoenix College is a junior college and once he left there, Sheehy-Guiseppi tried to join a Division I school, but he was told he only had one year of eligibility and he was nine credits short being able to transfer.
So that led to Sheehy-Guiseppi going pro. After failed attempts to make it in the CFL and the Arena Football League, Sheehy-Guiseppi was able to talk his way into an NFL tryout in Miami and was told to look for Browns executive Alonzo Highsmith.
Sheehy-Guiseppi was able to impress at the tryout and Highsmith invited him the Cleveland for another workout. With no money to fly back home and rent a room for a week, the rookie and to improvise as he sleeping at a 24-hour fitness center as well as sleeping outside a training facility. It paid off because he signed a contract with the Browns on Apr. 5.
