Bryant and Beyond the Game founder Devin Jordan have launched an online auction to raise funds to distribute 5,000 copies of 'The Mental Manual' to Ohio students
Author: Stephanie Haney (WKYC)
Published: 9:03 PM EST December 17, 2020
Updated: 3:56 PM EST December 18, 2020
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns tight end Harrison Bryant has joined forces with a non-profit organization to raise money to send mental health journals to students across Ohio.
Bryant is working with Beyond the Game founder Devin Jordan in hopes of providing 5,000 Ohio students with copies of the '2021 Mental Manual' through an online auction fundraiser of a wide variety of one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia.
For Bryant, maintaining mental health and spreading that awareness is about reminding people how important it is both on and off the field.
"As athletes, we're always focused on physical health and how we can be at the top of our game," Bryant told 3News over a Zoom video chat. "The big thing that we forget is how important mental health is, not only in our performance, but in our every day lives."
Once Bryant got his hands on a copy for the '2021 Mental Manual,' he said he knew he had to be involved in making sure young people in the area could benefit from it.
"This is great material," Bryant said of the journal.
In the 365-day journal, Jordan includes exercises aimed to guide the mind's of young people in a positive direction by focusing on attitude, class, enthusiasm, discipline, hope, humility, love, responsibility, mental toughness and teamwork.
'2020 has been a rough year for us all. I have especially seen it be really hard on student-athletes. ' Jordan said, discussing why the timing is right for his first published book, and how he wanted to use free time he found due to the pandemic to help others.
Drawing inspiration from his former Ohio State University college football coach Jim Tressel's book, 'The Winners Manual,' Jordan chose to use that free time to finally put pen to paper and complete the project that's been on his mind for quite some time.
As a graduate of Massillon Washington High School in Stark County, student-athletes in this region are especially dear to Jordan's heart, so it was important to him to start sharing the book here.
"Before it is released to the public, I wanted to get this manual out to as many kids, especially in Northeast Ohio, as I can," Jordan said, explaining why he chose to incorporate an auction to kick start distribution.
The fundraiser, live through Saturday, December 19, includes the opportunity to bid on things like an acrylic painting of Bryant scoring a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals, to be personalized with a message and signed by the rookie from Florida Atlantic University.
For those who would prefer, there is also an option to simply donate without bidding on any items, to help provide copies of the '2021 Mental Manual' to students in Ohio.
Learn more about Beyond the Game's mission "to help students understand that sports is a platform to achieving a higher education and reaching their potential as adults" by visiting the organization's website, here.