Fritz Pollard died waiting for the NFL to change ... to lead its Cleveland franchise — also persuaded NFL owners to abandon the color ban. It took 16 years for every NFL team to reintegrate ...

Professional football is no different, where many years after Fritz Pollard broke the games color barrier, a group of men bravely trudged forward and continued his work to integrate the sport.

The Browns on Feb. 10 were given the inaugural “John B. Wooten Award” by the Fritz Pollard Alliance in recognition of the team’s dedication to inclusion and diversity in the workplace.