Getty Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi.
Former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi has found a new football home.
Sheehy-Guiseppi, the best story of the NFL preseason, was picked up by the New York Guardians in the XFL supplemental draft on Friday. The league kicks off play in 2020.
Sheehy-Guiseppi didn’t make the final cut on the Browns 53-man roster but provided one of the most memorable preseason moments in recent history when he ran back a punt 86 yards against the Washington Redskins. He was mobbed by his teammates once he got into the end zone.
“I don’t know where to start,” Sheehy-Guiseppi said when asked to recap the play. “I just ran as fast as I could in the hole. I felt all the love. I was over there gasping for air, but I felt all the love. It was just a blessing to see them all coming down excited.”
Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi Has Relentless Work Ethic
What made his trip to the end zone so emotional was his journey to get to that point. He was a junior college All-American punt returner at Phoenix College, but had struggled to find any opportunity post-college. After hearing about an invite-only Browns tryout in Miami, he essentially lied his way onto the field but impressed Browns vice president of player personnel Alonzo Highsmith enough to get a shot.
“He had an excellent workout,” Highsmith recalled. “Caught punts well, ran fast. I called (Browns assistant general manager) Eliot (Wolf) and I said ‘hey, this kid Damon Sheehy, man he ran fast.’ He goes ‘really?’ I said ‘yeah, he caught the ball well, I’m thinking we should bring him up.’ And then I was like, well, maybe we’ll wait, but then I thought about it and Eliot goes ‘well let’s just bring him in now.'”
Sheehy-Guiseppi showed that relentlessness during the tryout process, sleeping outside of a Miami gym before finally getting on the Browns roster.
“It’s a grind, you know what I’m saying? I wasn’t mad that I was sleeping on the beach. I wasn’t upset,” Sheehy-Guiseppi told the Browns official site. “I was happy, because I got an opportunity and that’s all I wanted. … I was blessed for that. I was more happy for that. I wasn’t even thinking about where I was sleeping, I was thinking about the opportunity that I had in my hands right now and I just wanted to make the most of it.”
Sheehy-Guiseppi posted videos during his time with the Browns, working out at all hours of the day. His social media channels are still filled with the speedy pass-catcher’s workouts as he tries to make it in the football world.
Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi Had Plenty of Support During Browns Tenure
Sheehy-Guiseppi’s story went mainstream and he garnered support from other athletes and celebrities alike. But he also was a popular figure within the Browns locker room, in particular with star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. When he made his now legendary punt return, he was wearing a pair of cleats OBJ gifted him.
When Sheehy-Guiseppi put up a post announcing he was let go by the Browns, Beckham could be found in the comments showing him some love.
“Since day one brother!,” Beckham wrote. “God has his eyes on u! Keep workin ! No one can out work u! Forever LUV.”
Other notable names taken in the XFL supplemental draft included Eli Rogers and Terrance Williams.
Here are all of the players that were selected in today’s #XFL Supplemental Draft.
Comment below with the player that you are most excited to see drafted!
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According to the XFL website, the season is a 79-day sprint from kickoff to the championship game. It all starts on Feb. 8 when the DC Defenders host the Seattle Dragons.
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