Browns’ QB Baker Mayfield Pays Special Tribute to Ohio Sailor Killed in Kabul
The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Baker Mayfield is a vocal supporter of US military members and veterans. Photo from Instagram.
Before leading the Cleveland Browns to a 31-21 home victory over the Houston Texans, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield donned a special set of cleats bearing the image of Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Maxton “Max” Soviak, one of the 13 US service members killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26.
A vocal supporter of US military members and veterans, Mayfield wore the custom cleats during pregame warmups to honor the fallen sailor Sunday, Sept. 19. An Ohio native from Berlin Heights, Soviak was serving as a corpsman with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, when an ISIS-K suicide bomber attacked the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport. According to the Navy, Soviak was assisting a mother and her child at the time of the attack.
Soviak was a four-sport athlete who’d played football since he was seven, eventually becoming captain of his high school team. According to his obituary, Soviak was “instrumental” in leading his team in the playoffs during his junior and senior years.
Marcus Rivero, the Soles by Sir artist who famously created a pair of gold cleats for Marshawn Lynch, designed Mayfield’s custom cleats. Because the NFL does not allow players to wear custom footwear during games, Mayfield had to hang up the memorial cleats after warmups.
After he was injured during the second quarter of Sunday’s game, Mayfield continued to play, finishing the game and helping to secure the win for his team.
A video published to Twitter nine days before Soviak was killed captured Mayfield thanking uniformed service members and veterans at the Browns’ training camp.
“If there’s any veterans here, thank you as well,” he said, addressing service members in the stands. “I wanted to say thank you on behalf of the Cleveland Browns, and thank you for allowing us to play this game that we love. We appreciate you more than you know.”
Read Next: 17 Years After His Death, Pat Tillman’s Legacy Lives On
Mac Caltrider is a senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. He served in the US Marine Corps and is a former police officer. Caltrider earned his bachelor’s degree in history and now reads anything he can get his hands on. He is also the creator of Pipes & Pages, a site intended to increase readership among enlisted troops. Caltrider spends most of his time reading, writing, and waging a one-man war against premature hair loss.
Lucas O'Hara of Grizzly Forge has teamed up with BRCC for a badass, exclusive Shirt Club T-shirt design featuring his most popular knife and tiomahawk.
Coffee or Die sits down with one of the graphic designers behind Black Rifle Coffee's signature look and vibe.
Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.
Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.
A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.
Since the 1920s, a low-tech tabletop replica of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck has been an essential tool in coordinating air operations.
For nearly as long as the Army-Navy football rivalry, the academies’ hoofed mascots have stared each other down from the sidelines. Here are their stories.
Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel the weapon was produced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries but gave no other details.
