Browns' Isaiah Crowell attends funeral of slain Dallas police officer
After igniting a firestorm with an Instagram post depicting a handcuffed police officer getting his throat slashed, Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell has taken several steps to show remorse for his decision (he quickly deleted the post, but screengrabs live forever).
Crowell’s most recent move was accepting an invitation from the president of the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation and attending the funeral on Saturday of Patrick Zamarripa, one of five Dallas police officers gunned down on July 7.
Dallas Police Department Sgt. Demetrick Pennie extended the invitation to Crowell; according to Cleveland Plain-Dealer writer Mary Kay Cabot, Pennie wanted to educate the 23-year old on “the meaning of police service and sacrifice.”
Pennie is president of the Fallen Officer Foundation. After spending the day with Crowell, Pennie said in a lengthy Facebook post that he found Crowell to be truly remorseful.
“I am confident that the policing community now has a supporter in Mr. Crowell. Personally, I would like to commend Isaiah Crowell for the courage of principled accountability…Crowell entered the most unlikely venue surrounded by thousands of police officers, which could have possibly been the most hostile environment he could have ever imagined himself walking into. But by the grace of God, he was accepted with open arms. As leaders in the police community, it is our duty to establish and maintain the public trust. We, in the Dallas Police Department, are hurting and now it is time to start the healing process by creating greater understanding in the community. My interactions with Mr. Crowell demonstrates that mutual understanding is possible as long as both parties are willing to listen.”
Crowell had previously pledged his first game check this season, about $35,000, to the Dallas Fallen Officers Foundation, but Pennie wanted to see if he would go a step further and reached out to invite him to the city to attend a funeral with him.
