Cleveland Browns Parade: Raised Money Donated, Radio Host Says Food Bank Should Refuse Donation

CLEVELAND, OH - The Cleveland Browns pulled off a stunning Week 16 victory over the San Diego Chargers. The team won 20-17 at First Energy Stadium, a missed field goal as time wound down sealed the Brownies first victory of the season. The win also spelled the end of the controversial but highly publicized "Perfect Season 0-16" Parade.

Now the money raised for the event is going to a good cause: the Cleveland Food Bank. However, one local radio host said the organization should refuse the donation, before withdrawing his comment and deciding to fund raise for the Food Bank, as well.

The parade started as a gag, a joke meant to poke fun at the team's raging ineptitude. Chris McNeil, known to his followers as Reflog_18, started an event page for the parade on Facebook. It was never meant to be more than a poke in the eye to Browns' management, which has produced only one playoff team since returning to Cleveland in 1999.

However, eager to latch onto anything vaguely related to football and celebration, fans swarmed to the event page. The "Going" category on the page ballooned after each loss, eventually hitting nearly 5,000 confirmed attendees. Another approximately 8,700 people said they were interested in the parade.

Joke became reality and McNeil decided to help his followers achieve their collective dream. McNeil filed paperwork to get the parade approved by the city. He met with the City of Cleveland's Steering Committee and had a successful discussion of parade routes and other related logistics. The parade was tentatively set for Jan. 7, a Saturday, from 1 to 3 p.m. The event would launch from FirstEnergy Stadium, the site of the fans' misery.

McNeil also launched a website (which now reads "Cancelled" in bright red letters) and used the platform to raise money for the Cleveland Food Bank. He also used the platform to solicit bands for the event, to put a call-out for floats and float ideas, and raise money for general operations.

The event was real and it was one week away from happening. A blocked field goal and a field goal that sailed too far right wiped away months of work and led to a lot of mixed feelings on Lake Erie.

Donated Money

On the bright side, the Browns won a game without sacrificing their prime draft position. Plus, McNeil's parade raised about $10,000 for everything from port-a-potties to security personnel and all of that money is now going to the Cleveland Food Bank. To add to the festivities, and show their good sportsmanship, the Cleveland Browns decided to match the $10,000 donation. That means the parade's existence helped raise $20,000 for the Cleveland Food Bank.

"A special thank you to the Cleveland Browns for coming through in a big way by doubling our donation to The Greater Cleveland Food Bank!! Positive Karma!! Go Browns!!" McNeil wrote on Facebook.

However, McNeil continues to razz local radio hosts and rankle their feathers. ESPN Radio's Mark Munch said that the Cleveland Food Bank should refuse the $20,000 donation because it came from "losers" and that he would raise his own $20,000 from local businesses. To help commemorate his efforts, McNeil created a chart tracking Munch's march to his fundraising goal. To date, it appears Munch has raised about $7,000. McNeil happily pointed out that together with the donations from the Browns and the parade fans, that's $27,000 being given to the Cleveland Food Bank.

"We applaud his passion and appreciate the support of Munch and everyone at ESPN Cleveland to serve the greater good," McNeil wrote on Facebook.

Munch later admitted that he was wrong for saying the Food Bank should refuse the donation and apologized on Twitter.

With three days left in 2016, McNeil vowed to keep track of Munch's promise. McNeil previously won the ire of local radio host Tony Rizzo. On Rizzo's show, the host threatened to "mow down" parade goers with his car because he felt the parade was a "loser move."

For more Patch coverage of the "Perfect Season 0-16 Parade":

• Stephen Colbert Cheers on Browns' Parade
• Perfect Season Parade Moves Forward with Cleveland
• From Joke to Reality: The Evolution of the Parade

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch