The Cleveland Browns have players with roots from countries spanning the globe, including players such as Hakeem Adeniji whose mother worked as a television anchor in Nigeria before making her home in Texas.
One player that fans may not know who traces his roots back to Ghana is Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
Last season, Owusu-Koramoah began dressing in attire that represented his Ghanaian culture as a means to be his “authentic self.”
Owusu-Koramoah spoke about these decisions on the “We Need To Talk” program this week, sharing his thoughts behind his attire choices.
“It’s not just necessarily me wanting to represent Ghana, it’s more so just wanting to be my authentic self, wanting to represent something that is bigger than me,” Owusu-Koramoah said (via Twitter).
He explained that he wears these Ghanaian garments as a means to represent a culture that has “thousands and thousands of people, and thousands and thousands of years” of history, and wearing this attire represents all of those things “in one cloth, in one tapestry.”
Owusu-Koramoah is also able to connect with a younger generation of fans from across the globe who he feels will take pride in seeing those garments worn by a player representing a culture they are familiar with, he said.
The linebacker has hosted multiple football camps in Ghana as a means to give back, bringing teammates such as Amari Cooper and Grant Delpit with him to teach skills to aspiring athletes on foreign soil.
Last season, Owusu-Koramoah made the Pro Bowl after his breakout third season with the Browns as he logged 101 tackles and 3.5 sacks during the regular season.