Wednesday’s Hot Clicks: How an Undrafted Rookie Lied His Way Onto the Browns

But his story is more about never giving up on your dreams.

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A long, strange trip

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi is the most unlikely rookie in the NFL.

The 24-year-old receiver and return specialist has taken the longest road possible to become a member of the Browns. A profile on the team’s website describes how Sheehy-Guiseppi spent the past three years traveling across the country to try to catch on with any pro football team after a JuCo All-America season at Arizona College in 2016 failed to result in any scholarship offers.

He went to a bunch of Division I colleges, CFL tryouts, arena league tryouts and even a flag football workout, just trying to continue his football career. Somebody he met through the flag football league told him about an NFL tryout in Miami this spring, and Sheehy-Guiseppi begged him for the address. He didn’t care that the tryout was invite-only; he’d finesse his way onto the field. The connection told Sheehy-Guiseppi to act like he knew Browns exec Alonzo Highsmith. 

Here’s how he recounted the story to Cleveland.com’s Scott Patsko:

“Who are you?”

“I’m Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi. I’m here for the tryout.”

“Do you know Alonzo?”

“Yeah, I know Alonzo.”

The confidence paid off. Sheehy-Guiseppi had his foot in the door. To make sure his story didn’t fall apart, as soon as he saw Highsmith, he ran to him and introduced himself.

“I just knew I had to make it look like we were friends,” Sheehy-Guiseppi said. “Alonzo was real nice to me.”

Sheehy-Guiseppi’s workout was impressive enough (running a 4.38 40-yard dash) that Highsmith invited him to a tryout at the Cleveland facility the following week. The problem was the he had spent the last of his mother’s rewards points on a one-way ticket to Miami, so he had to find a way to make it in Miami for a week with virtually no money. He used guest passes to sleep at a 24-hour gym. He slept outside. He ate food from strangers’ streetside cookouts or asked friends back home to remotely order him something to eat. When he finally arrived in Cleveland, he impressed Browns scouts enough to earn a spot on the 90-man roster. 

As an undersized special-teamer who hasn’t played competitive football since 2016 and never above the junior college level, Sheehy-Guiseppi is the longest of long shots to actually stick with the Browns. If he does, it will be one of the greatest stories in NFL history. But even if he doesn’t, he’s taught people a valuable lesson about not giving up on a dream. 

Rob Pelinka told the stupidest lie

Included in ESPN’s big Lakers story is a frankly incredible detail about GM Rob Pelinka telling a story to his team (with Dwayne Johnson present, for some reason) about setting up a meeting between Kobe Bryant and Heath Ledger. Pelinka was clearly lying, though, because Ledger would have been dead during the supposed meeting.

Who wants free stuff? 

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who entered. 

One of the most popular giveaways I’ve ever done was for Kettle Brand potato chips, so we’re doing it again. With the NBA Finals starting this week, three winners will have a whole box full of free chips to snack on while they watch the games. Sounds like a good deal, right?

Here’s how to enter to win: Send me an email with a the subject line Kettle giveaway (you must use this subject line) and in the body include the name of the White Sox player who dumped a cooler of water on himself (the answer is in Tuesday’s Hot Clicks). I’ll send a case of chips to the 50th, 100th and 200th person to email me following those instructions.

The best of SI

Five-star recruit R.J. Hampton chose to go pro in New Zealand instead of playing in college, which is a bad sign for college basketball. ... MLB’s home run surge is reaching truly absurd levels. ... American soccer is seeing an increase in young, talented attacking midfielders. 

Can your team’s backup fly a fighter jet?

Ever want to fly an F-16 fighter jet? Steelers QB @josh_dobbs1 had the chance to do just that with the @AFThunderbirds.

Watch Dobbs take flight on @watch_SITV: https://t.co/svKwRTvr45 pic.twitter.com/X3EokEmDzz

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 28, 2019

Around the sports world

Devin Smeltzer, a cancer survivor who had an emotional reunion with Chase Utley last year, threw six shutout innings in his MLB debut for the Twins. ... Some guy bid $75,000 to be Tiger Woods’s caddie for a day. ... Lamar Odom claims he didn’t overdose at a Nevada brothel, that he was potentially poisoned by the brothel owner. ... Armenian Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan decided not to travel to Azerbaijan for the Europa League final and then cops there stopped a fan wearing his jersey. 

Nailed it

Let's just say there was some shaky command on tonight's ceremonial first pitch at Guaranteed Rate Field.#Royals | #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/c3YT5YsH3o

— Bally Sports Kansas City (@BallySportsKC) May 28, 2019

How else do you react to three homers?

DIETRICH HIT EM WITH THE MJ SHRUG! pic.twitter.com/2ndgYJ6zdk

— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 29, 2019

And then he did this:

Dietz is the best.#BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/6duyRIYpDy

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 29, 2019

This team is almost in first place

The 5,786 is the smallest crowd ever for a #Rays game at the Trop. Previous low was 6,509 on Sept. 5, 2017 when a hurricane was in the forecast

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 29, 2019

How many 96-year-old harmonica-playing vets are there?

Roland Scarinci, a 96-year-old World War II vet, absolutely nailed his performance of “God Bless America” on the harmonica tonight.

👏 pic.twitter.com/ceqCvy9P6o

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 29, 2019

Jimmy Butler has a new job

Great job getting the "best coach ever" to coach your daughter, @markwahlberg!

(via @JimmyButler) pic.twitter.com/ubupLUQ6dU

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 29, 2019

Crazy scenes in Uruguay

Block or charge?! 👀

Things got ugly in the final minutes of @ColonOficial vs. @cariveruruguay. Red cards shown to both sides once the police left the field 😡😳 #Sudamericana pic.twitter.com/DNkP9DsIhQ

— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) May 29, 2019

Can of corn...

Sometimes you hit a ball so far, they just can't catch it. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/aU3ubpOrmE

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 29, 2019

Simone Biles is a magician

video 2 👀 pic.twitter.com/ceKNUn7ypK

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) May 28, 2019

It’s the only right choice

Will Smith has... apt walkup music as he makes his MLB debut. pic.twitter.com/wt4U1Hoeik

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) May 29, 2019

Uhh, phrasing?

Pat Shurmur says Daniel Jones and Eli Manning are similar:

"They're very calm in their approach, but they're very fiery under the covers" pic.twitter.com/Ad45AWNGAp

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 28, 2019

Would the Raptors be cooler if they were called the Towers or the Thunder?

2. In April, after about a month, this list of names was posted, from which ten were randomly selected for voting. pic.twitter.com/1KxwZ3xsqD

— Gil Meslin (@g_meslin) May 27, 2019

Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia responds to a Bucks fan’s hateful tweet

Not sports

Apple is releasing a new iPod for the first time in four years. ... Arizona State is cornering the market on mediocre former NFL coaches with the hiring of Marvin Lewis. ... An Ohio meteorologist was fed up with people mad at him for interrupting The Bachelorette to cover a tornado warning. ... A California highway is covered in millions of aluminum cans and no one knows the source. 

Kit Harington judges Jon Snow impersonators

Where is that beep coming from?

Dropping a hammer and a feather on the moon

A good song

Email dan.gartland@simail.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.