After posting an illustration of a masked man slicing a police officer’s throat in July, Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell apologized and pledged his first game check to the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation.
Last week, Crowell followed through on that promise with a check for more than $35,000.
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Sergeant Demetrick Pennie, President of Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation, was reluctant to accept the gift.
"I said, 'Isaiah, why did you send me a check? I told you you didn't have to send me a check,''' Pennie told Cleveland.com. "He said, 'Sarge, I want to do it. I really want to do it.' I said, ‘OK, all right, you will now be an executive level sponsor. So now, you are a celebrity sponsor of the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation.'''
Crowell, who also attended the funeral of a slain Dallas police officer, didn’t say much about the gesture.
"I said I was going to do it and I wanted to follow through,'' Crowell said.
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Crowell, who is enjoying a renaissance season with the Browns, isn’t done with the foundation after his donation.
"Isaiah is like my little brother," Pennie said. "He's a long-term sponsor, not necessarily in terms of money, but he's going to be involved with my foundation, and how I engage him with my widows, and my fallen officer families. That's where this is going.''