CLEVELAND — During the Cleveland Browns' 41-35 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Baker Mayfield didn't wear his traditional white Nike cleats, but rather, a pair of red ones.
Mayfield's footwear came as a part of the NFL's annual 'My Cause, My Cleats' campaign, which allows players to wear a special pair of cleats honoring the cause of their choice for one game each season.
For the third consecutive season, Mayfield used the opportunity to bring attention to the Special Olympics -- doing so with a pair of red cleats featuring artwork designed by the Avon High School’s Unified Club.
As Mayfield explained on an Instagram post displaying the cleats, his footwear served as a nod to Antrone "Juice" Williams, a stroke survivor who is active in the Special Olympics community. Mayfield's cleats featured a portrait of Willaims on one side, as well as the Special Olympics logo and the phrases "diversity is a fact" and "inclusion is an act."
"Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is an act!" Mayfield wrote on Instagram. "For the third season I’ll be representing @specialolympics and @specialolympicsoh for #MyCauseMyCleats I’m honoring my dear friend @mryouwontoutworkme - an amazing athlete, mentor to many other athletes and a champion as well as Avon High School’s Unified Club for their inspirational art focused on diversity and inclusion. Thank you to @solesbysir for the 🔥 art."
While wearing the cleats, Mayfield turned in his best performance of the season, completing 25 of his 33 pass attempts for 334 yards and four touchdowns. With their win over the Titans, the Browns moved to 9-3, clinching their first winning season since 2007.