Watch photographer fall into Lake Erie during Cleveland Browns' helmet reveal
Video footage from the incident shows the person tumbling and falling into the waters of Lake Erie on Wednesday, July 23 as they attempted to take photos of the giant inflatable helmet featuring the new design and colors on a barge. Storyful, citing the Browns, reported the 20-foot barge was located about 300 feet offshore from Huntington Bank Field, the team's home stadium in Cleveland.
While the Cleveland Browns did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for more information on Thursday, July 24, the Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported the person did not remain in the water long and was assisted by an officer on a jet ski.
Was the fall staged?
The NFL team has not commented on whether the incident was staged; however, the Akron Beacon Journal reported that the individual who fell into the water was influencer Ross Smith, who has nearly 25 million followers on TikTok, almost four million on Instagram and more than five million subscribers on YouTube.
Smith shared the video of his tumble in a July 23 Instagram post that had Dude Wipes as a collaborator. The disposable wipes product brand sponsored the helmets.
What does the Cleveland Browns' new helmet look like?
The Browns revealed a new helmet on July 23 that will be worn occasionally during the 2025 season. The helmet is matte brown and features orange stripes down the centerline, but does not sport a logo. The Browns are the only team in the NFL that does not have a logo on its helmets.
The team, one of four to never reach the Super Bowl, is calling the new crown its "Alpha Dawg."
The "Alpha Dawg" helmets are the first brown helmets the team has used since being founded in 1946. They will be worn three times during the 2025 season in a monochromatic presentation, along with the club's brown jerseys and pants.
"'Alpha Dawg' embodies what we set out to be as the Cleveland Browns, the leaders of the pack," the team's Executive Vice President, James Wood "JW" Johnson III, said in a statement. "We're excited about this new alternate helmet and the ode it pays to the rich history of the color brown as part of our organization, switching it up from our iconic orange helmets."
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Cleveland Browns' new helmets sponsored by Dude Wipes
Dude Wipes has sponsored the helmets, much to the delight of the internet, as previously reported by USA TODAY.
In a statement, Dude Wipes co-founder Ryan Meegan said the company is "the kings of keeping things clean," and is "here to back the Browns as they embrace a bold new look this season − with the launch of their all-brown alternate helmets."
"We're pumped to team up with the Browns for one of the most iconic helmet reveals the league has ever seen," Meegan added.
The Browns originally wore white helmets when they were dominating the All-America Football Conference in the 1940s and during their first two years in the NFL (1950-51). The team switched to what's become its signature orange helmets in 1952.
Contributing: Nate Davis, USA TODAY & Dan Kadar/ Akron Beacon Journal
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cedric Tillman injures leg at Browns practice
Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman had to leave Friday's practice with an injury. Reporters at the session noted that Tillman went down after jumping to try for a high pass from Joe Flacco in the end zone at training camp. Tillman left the field with trainers after the play and did not return. The Browns said, via Mary Kay Cabot of that Tillman suffered a lower left leg injury. They did not share any other details about the injury or how it would impact Tillman's availability for future practices. Tillman was a 2023 third-round pick in Cleveland. He had 50 catches for 563 yards and three touchdowns in his first two seasons.
USA Today
9 minutes ago
- USA Today
College football analyst reveals thoughts about Bill Belichick coaching UNC football
Will Bill Belichick work out at UNC? The North Carolina Tar Heels are nowhere close to a college football powerhouse, but they made a massive move this offseason in hopes they become a future powerhouse. In December 2024, UNC hired 8-time Super Bowl Champion Bill Belichick to be their next head coach. Belichick started his coaching career with the then-Baltimore Colts in 1975, coaching in the NFL until January 2024 with the New England Patriots. The Tar Heels are hoping that Belichick can find success early on in his college coaching career. But some analysts are not convinced he will. On his latest podcast, 247Sports' Josh Pate said he doesn't think the Belichick experiment will work at North Carolina. 'Swallow this about North Carolina: I flat out don't think it's (Belichick) going to work," Pate said. "I don't think that college football is remotely as comparable to the NFL, as the broad brush artists out there tend to paint it. Even if you have the investment, let's just say North Carolina's invested. A lot of the feedback I've gotten is they're taking it seriously. They're not going to pay him $10 million a year, but not get behind him. Even if you're behind him, you gotta go out-recruit Georgia or Alabama, or Clemson, or Miami. You can't just try and stay close to them and hope to out-develop them. Cause they're good at developing and recruiting.' Despite Belichick's extensive professional success, he's a first-time college coach. Belichick is no stranger to college football, spending his early childhood days in Kenan Stadium with his father, but hasn't coached a collegiate game before. There's plenty of hope weaving its way through Chapel Hill right now, as the Tar Heels have a multi-time Super Bowl Champion coaching them. In a perfect world, UNC wins the CFP National Championship this fall, but there's also plenty of risk with a first-time college coach. Belichick's collegiate coaching debut will come Monday, September 1 at 8 p.m. against TCU, with the Horned Frogs traveling to Kenan Stadium for a primetime kickoff on ESPN. How North Carolina plays in that game will be a key, early indicator of if the Belichick experiment. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
New York Post
9 minutes ago
- New York Post
Netanyahu's son claims Joe Rogan refused to have father on his show: ‘Years of antisemitic propaganda'
Benjamin Netanyahu's eldest son on Friday claimed Joe Rogan refused to host the Israeli prime minister on his show and has promoted 'years of antisemitic propaganda.' Yair Netanyahu, 33, took aim at the popular podcaster after Rogan gushed over scandal-ridden Hunter Biden, arguing he could be president. 'Great wake up call for conservatives to remember Joe Rogan is not a conservative,' Netanyahu's son wrote in a post on X. Advertisement 4 Joe Rogan hosting his podcast 'The Joe Rogan Experience.' PowerfulJRE/Youtube 'He gave platform to every single neo Nazi antisemite on this plant (sic), but he refuse to have my father on his show, because he knows that he doesn't stand a chance against him, and all those years of antisemitic propaganda will go to waste.' Representatives for Rogan did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. Advertisement On Wednesday's episode of 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast, Rogan had played a clip from Biden's bizarre interview with 'Channel 5' host Andrew Callaghan, when the former president's son discussed his illegal drug use. 'He's smarter than his dad when his dad was young,' Rogan said of Hunter. 'And he could be president. How about that?' 4 Yair Netanyahu slammed Joe Rogan in a social media post Friday. @YairNetanyahu/X Advertisement Yair Netanyahu, a onetime podcaster himself, was quick to call out Rogan's comments as proof that he isn't a true conservative and accused the host of platforming antisemitism. Rogan has found himself in hot water on the subject several times over the years. Most recently, Rogan faced backlash after he hosted Darryl Cooper on his podcast earlier this year. 4 Yair Netanyahu and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. AP Advertisement The self-styled historian has been accused of Holocaust revisionism and downplaying Nazi crimes. Rogan brushed off his critics as 'paranoid' Jews. In 2023, Rogan made a jab on his podcast about Jews being 'into money.' 'The idea that Jewish people are not into money, that's ridiculous. That's like saying Italians aren't into pizza. It's f—ing stupid,' he said. 4 President Trump and Yair Netanyahu. @YairNetanyahu/X Yair Netanyahu, who is known for coming to his father's defense online, has his own fair share of controversies. His Facebook account was slapped with a 24-hour ban in 2018 following a series of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian posts. 'Do you know where there are no attacks, in Iceland and Japan. That's because there are no Muslims,' he wrote in one post. Advertisement In another, he wrote: 'There will never be peace with the monsters in human form known since 1964 as 'Palestinians.'' Earlier that same year, the prime minster's son, then 26, was caught on video outside a Tel Aviv strip club drunkenly boasting about his father and making risqué comments about women.
