When he's not rooting for the consistently good West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturdays, country music star Brad Paisley commiserates on Sundays every fall with Hank Aaron, Jerry "The King" Lawler and other celebrity fans of the NFL's long-suffering Cleveland Browns.
Paisley visited Browns camp recently, as captured in the Aug. 21 episode of the NFL Films and HBO series Hard Knocks. Now in its 13th season, the show follows a different team every summer through training camp and preseason games.
Hopes are higher than usual in Northeast Ohio, with rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield competing for a starting job against former Buffalo Bills signal-caller Tyrod Taylor. Meanwhile, head coach Hue Jackson and general manager John Dorsey hope to prove that they're actively righting the ship after last season's 0-16 campaign.
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The show that already starred Moose the office dog and the team's quirky offensive line coach Bob Wylie welcomed Paisley in the fold as he gave the team a brief motivational speech. In it, the country singer said he'd loved the Browns since 3rd grade, time-stamping his early fandom by namedropping 1980 NFL MVP Brian Sipe.
Paisley later admitted to Mayfield that he really dropped by to see the RV the rookie purchased for Brogan Roback and the rest of the quarterback depth chart. After Mayfield ironically points out that the media tries to make the RV into a big deal, he gives his famous new friend a grand tour in front of a camera crew.
Regardless of who's slinging passes to wide receivers Josh Gordon and Jarvis Landry—and maybe even free agent and former Cowboys star Dez Bryant—or how the team fairs against the Pittsburgh Steelers, celebrity Browns fan Paisley will be glued to the television while he weighs the benefits of hitting the road someday in a newly purchased QB RV.
