Browns Possum King — Should He Stay Or Go?

CLEVELAND — Before Thursday's ecstatic 21-17 Cleveland Browns win was finalized, a fan in the stands caught a possum roaming about in their section. The fan — who seemed remarkably comfortable handling the struggling, hissing animal — and his possum became a rallying cry for Clevelanders.

There's something very Northeast Ohioan about a guy holding a possum becoming part of the post-victory blitz of news. Amid shout-outs from WWE wrestlers, LeBron James, and every sports pundit in the nation, here's a guy in a Browns No. 99 jersey and orange pants carting around a mammal by its tail.

The possum and its handler grabbed headlines. They even earned a nod from the Browns organization, who quickly nicknamed the animal the #RallyPossum.

With social media buzzing about the team's victory, the possum and its handler became an easy-to-use meme. Fans joked that they were going to start smuggling possums into FirstEnergy Stadium...just in case. Others quipped the team had a new mascot.

Does the possum deserve an homage at future home games? Will you be smuggling possums into Browns practices? We want to know. Tell us in the comments below. Let's make #RallyPossum a thing.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!)

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch