Scott E. Entsminger's obituary included a request to be let down by the Cleveland Browns one more time.
The Browns organization got word of Entsminger's request and has acted to lift up his family in its time of mourning.
A day after Entsminger's request for six Browns players to serve as pallbearers went viral, a Browns spokesman confirmed Tuesday that the team reached out to Entsminger's wife. She explained that her late husband's favorite player had always been Hall of Famer Lou Groza, and during Entsminger's memorial service a team representative will delivering a personalized jersey bearing Groza's number 76.
The Tuesday afternoon memorial service comes with a dress code: Browns gear.
There's no question that Entsminger was a true fan -- and that the organization is scoring positive points with its gesture of reaching out to the family and sending a jersey.
The Browns, who are starting again this season with a new owner and the team's third head coach since 2010, can use all the goodwill they can get. Their fan base has remained stubbornly loyal through turmoil, turnover and losing; the team has two winning seasons and has played in just one playoff game since returning to the NFL in 1999.
Entsminger was 55 and lived in Mansfield, which is between Cleveland and Columbus. The obituary was published in the Columbus Dispatch, and on Tuesday afternoon the online guestbook attached to the obituary had more than 100 hundred entries, many of whom from football fans drawn there by Entsminger's request to be let down by the Browns one more time.
