The Cleveland Browns are mourning the loss of their mascot, Swagger, who died on Feb. 7th at only 6-years-old.
The NFL team made the tragic announcement on their website, explaining that the 145-pound bullmastiff died after battling cancer for over a year:
“Swagger’s son, SJ, took over for him in Week 10 of the 2019 season and will carry on the role into 2020 and beyond. Swagger served as the Dawg Pound Captain in his final game with the Browns,” the website stated.
Swagger has been with the team since 2014 and was the team’s first-ever live mascot. He regularly made appearances on Dawg Pound Drive and events throughout the community.
Today was not expected.. 😥 Swagger unfortunately has passed away completely unexpected this afternoon. Alot of people…
Posted by Justin McLaughlin on Friday, February 7, 2020
“Swagger, who was born July 20, 2013, hailed from FD Farms, a certified member of the American Kennel Club, in Rootstown, Ohio. Fred and Debby McLaughlin are the operators of the farm, and their son, Justin, was Swagger’s handler. Justin ran out of the tunnel alongside Swagger and has continued to do so with SJ.”
Justin also spoke out about Swagger’s death on Facebook.
“Today was not expected,” Justin captioned a Facebook post, which shows him cuddled up to the pooch. “Swagger unfortunately has passed away completely unexpected this afternoon. A lot of people did not know Swagger had been dealing with cancer for the past year. Today he had a stroke and it took his life.. 😥 We will always remember him as the most loving dog we have ever encountered. His love was felt by thousands of people literally all over the world!!!”
Since the dog’s passing, players and fans have paid tribute to Swagger:
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield posted his condolences on Instagram, “We love you and we’ll miss you. Doggy heaven got a good one today.”
We’re heartbroken by the passing of our beloved mascot, Swagger.
As a constant presence on gameday and the leader of the Dawg Pound, Swagger was a proud member of our team for 6 seasons. RIP. 💔
📰 » https://t.co/dBfppFXsfe pic.twitter.com/m5Btmf0Ko3
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) February 7, 2020
“The goodest boy in all The Land… RIP Swagger,” sports reporter Michael Welsh tweeted.
We’re heartbroken by the passing of our beloved mascot, Swagger.
As a constant presence on gameday and the leader of the Dawg Pound, Swagger was a proud member of our team for 6 seasons. RIP. 💔
📰 » https://t.co/dBfppFXsfe pic.twitter.com/m5Btmf0Ko3
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) February 7, 2020
The Browns also tweeted about Swagger, sharing a black-and-white photo of him resting on the football field.
