Denzel Ward

Cleveland Browns’ Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward is entering his fourth season in the National Football League and has had a significant presence both on and off the field. After being named an All-American at Ohio State University, the Cleveland native was drafted with the 4th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft to his hometown team where he proceeded to earn multiple honors including Pepsi Rookie of the Week, AFC Special Teams Player of the Week and was elected to the 2018 Pro Bowl.

Along with his family, Ward founded the Make Them Know Your Name (MTKYN) Foundation whose mission aims to help prevent heart related fatalities in communities across the nation by providing the resources necessary to educate people in the various aspects of heart health. The foundation, which honors his late father, has already provided life-saving emergency resources such as hands- only CPR certification and AED equipment and instruction to local high schools and gyms in Ohio. In addition, MTKYN holds free football camps, coat drives, and multiple online and in-person fundraising events during the year that brings the community together. Ward participates in the NFL’s annual initiative ‘My Cause, My Cleats’ to further promote the foundation’s heart health mission. Among Ward’s contributions to the community, his outreach during the Covid pandemic earned national acclaim when he covered rent or a significant expense for 21 families and small businesses during the shutdown.

Ward also has ample experience in front of the camera and on-air and has been a guest on Fox Sports, NFL Network, Sirius XM, Bleacher Report, and local affiliates. An avid gamer and investor in popular gaming platform E-Fuse, Ward joined teammates for The Checkdown’s Madden Tournament and livestream to benefit Covid relief charities. He also penned a moving essay about his father’s passing and his legacy for The Players’ Tribune.