Man of his word: Edwards keeps promise to Cleveland students

Browns fans have washed their hands of Braylon Edwards, but 79 Cleveland-area students will never forget him.

When Edwards was drafted by the Browns in 2005, he and his mom launched Advance 100, a program that promised $10,000 scholarships to 100 local eighth-graders if they graduated from high school with at least a 2.5 GPA and clocked 15 hours of community service.

Six years later, 79 students qualified and now attend colleges from Kent State to Harvard.

Edwards, who's now with the 49ers, hasn't played for the Browns since 2009, but he has kept his promise to every one of those young people and even furnished them with laptops.

"I'm supposed to give people a chance like I was given a chance," Edwards told ESPN.

During Edward's four-plus seasons in Cleveland, he was, at times, dazzling -- scoring a franchise-record 16 receiving touchdowns in 2007 -- but equally frustrating, known for dropping passes, disappearing during games and his sometimes cranky demeanor.

When Eric Mangini traded Edwards to the Jets, large pockets of the fan base weren't sorry to see him go. But for all the bad blood, Edwards never went back on his word to those who needed him most.

Thanks, Shutdown Corner.