In a letter addressed to his employees and posted to Facebook yesterday Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand announced he will now prohibit staff from working off-duty during Browns games. This comes after Hildenbrand attended Sunday’s game in Indianapolis where 21 Browns players took a knee during the National Anthem to protest social injustice and after President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on players who have chosen to demonstrate during the song.

A group of Browns players also took a knee for the anthem during the first game of the season, and players emerged from the tunnel and locked arms with members of the military and the Cleveland police prior to game two.

Regardless, Hildenbrand cites the most recent protests as the impetus for the decision. His full letter is below.

To All Employees,

Less than a month ago I was honored and proud to accept a certificate at the Great Geauga County Fair in the name of my uncle Charles J. Hildenbrand, who was the first Geauga County resident killed in Vietnam. The certificate and 50 yr pin was sent to Charles’ sister in California who could not attend. I was so proud to see all of the Veterans that filled the large grandstand. It was truly humbling to see so many proud, brave, men and women from many different wars in attendance.

Yesterday I attended the Browns game in Indianapolis with some friends. The stadium was almost full with 70,000 fans in attendance. During the National Anthem at least 21 Browns players kneeled as the entire stadium, made up of all races, ages, sex, religion and careers stood and removed theirs hats. All the police officers working in uniform were saluting. The fact that the team owners and NFL Commissioner condone this activity very much upsets me. As far as I am concerned almost the entire league disrespected every veteran that ever fought or died for this Country. These protests are not about unity, unity was the other 70,000 fans that stood. I truly believe this is about the Police, Law Enforcement and our government. For that reason, effective immediately any off duty details at NFL Games are prohibited.

We all have hard and sometime dangerous jobs that we work every day. Most people respect and appreciate what you all do. I did not have honor to serve but many of you have, and I thank you for that. I feel we all serve every day as our first line of defense here at home. I’m concerned when the main act stands in front of the crowd, before the game even starts, and commits a blatant disrespectful act towards our flag, our Country, our Veterans and our first responders. If they do not have respect for us and our Country only bad things will come of that. We will not be a part of these activities.

My season ticket seats will remain empty the rest of the season.

God bless all of you, and be safe.
Scott A. Hildenbrand, Sheriff
Geauga County Sheriffs Office
12450 Merritt Dr.
Chardon, Ohio 44024


This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2017.

Vince Grzegorek has been with Scene since 2007 and editor-in-chief since 2012. He previously worked at Discount Drug Mart and Texas Roadhouse.

14 replies on “After Sunday’s Protests Geauga County Sheriff Prohibits Employees From Working Off Duty At Browns Games”

  1. “Im concerned when the main act stands in front of the crowd, before the game even starts, and commits a blatant disrespectful act towards our flag, our Country, our Veterans and our first responders”
    What an utter bafoon and fool. This protest has nothing to do the flag or veterans. It does have to do with the disrespectful nature of our country and police, in particular, toward people of color.
    Obviously, Hildenbrand doesn’t even know then rules governing the flag.
    http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=gra…
    He also had no idea about the rules governing capitalization.

  2. So off-duty means on-duty? These officers are not allowed to make an extra buck because their boss doesn’t like the politics of where his employees CHOOSE to work? Nobody is exactly holding a gun to their heads and forcing them to work there. Like the Roman entremanure told his son, who complained that his father owned a chain of public toilets…”Money doesn’t stink.”

    Hey, Scotty, why don’t you STFU and just do your sheriffing among the rednecks and wingnuts of Geauga County? Stay the hell out of the big bad liberal city. Who needs you anyway, asswipe? Go play tough guy somewhere else. The Browns don’t need you and neither does Cuyahoga County. Go to hell.

    Chuckles the Clown

  3. “Taking the knee” is as far from an act of disrespect as it can possibly be. It is an act of supplication, an act asking that this country honor the values represented by its flag, values of fairness to all, the belief that all persons are created equal, the idea that we are an indivisible nation with liberty and justice for all. It is an act protected as free expression under the First Amendment of the Constitution, the same Constitution that protects *off-duty* peace officers’ right to work when and where they choose. The sheriff needs some remedial education about the rights and laws he has taken an oath to enforce.

  4. In the meantime, the clowns continue to be the laughing stock of sports. Thank you Art. Please move this garbage teamagain.

  5. I really would like to understand why a business (the NFL) would allow its employees (players) to antagonize or annoy or insult a large portion of its customers (fans)? These employers have no trouble shutting players down for other speech or displays (such as wearing a police decal, etc. ) Is it that the “principle” is more important than the customer? In a way, although I do not know what the principle is of kneeling during the national anthem, that would be admirable. Would appreciate explanations from the liberal viewpoint.

  6. As I understand it, Kaepernick’s intention was to bring attention to the fact that large numbers of black men (5X the number of white men) are being shot and killed by the police, and calls for justice, or at least an attempt to reform the system, are largely ignored. So taking a knee is an understated way to say the ideals America claims to stand for are not being experienced in that community. Nothing about vets, or the flag, or moms, etc. if this “insults or annoys” any fans, well, I guess free speech will do that sometimes.

  7. I asked why the employers allow it. You try protesting in front of customers at work? There is no free speech at work .

  9. Loose Cannon blacks are 6x More involved in crimes than whites?
    Can you prove that?
    Even if what you say is true; does it give law enforcement the right to kill Black Men?
    Wearing the pig socks (police decal) was a violation of the NFL’s dress code; but there is no rule saying it’s mandatory to stand for the national anthem. IJS…

  10. Scott Hildenbrand says about the kneeling: “These protests are not about unity, unity was the other 70,000 fans that stood. I truly believe this is about the Police, Law Enforcement and our government. For that reason, effective immediately any off duty details at NFL Games are prohibited.”
    So if the protest is about you, & your colleagues, why run from the issue? Are you scared to admit the truth? The fact that police brutality & unfairness in the justice system amoung minorities is prevalent not only in Cleveland, OH, but throughout the entire country?
    What’s next? Not protecting those tax payers who you think are “disrespecting the flag & our service men & women”?
    Anyone who chooses to try to change the narrative from police brutality to disrespecting the flag are COWARDS & proves that you don’t think BLK!
    Don’t nobody care if Hildenbrand’s department won’t do detail work during the Browns’ games other officers will be more than happy to fill that position. Nor do ppl care whether or not first responders run out on to the field w/the players before the game.
    It’s funny how various forms of law enforcement is protesting the protesting of players against law enforcement. Players have repeatedly invited representatives of law enforcement to have an open discussion concerning the injustices toward minorities but law enforcement instead wants to change the narrative about the flag & military personnel so they have a ‘silly’ reason not to address the issue at all. COWARDS!

  11. The sherrif is out of touch. No one is more or less patriotic than the other. It’s about mistreatment and racism. We, as Americans, have the right to protest. There could be possible backlash from it but that’s the whole point, that the injustice is recognized.

    To solve this problem, quit playing the national anthem at all sporting events and stop having military personnel present there as well. It’s a sporting event, not a rally.

  13. The nation has become “Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1986″ – a poem by William S. Burroughs…….”Dead-End Reeking Street”, indeed.

  14. Maybe if this sheriff would really do his job and speak out against his “brothers” who make a mockery out of the law, he would be more believable. If he can’t see the utter hypocrisy in what he is saying, about how patriotic he feels toward the flag and the anthem which represents justice for all, yet doesn’t allow that justice to extend to all, maybe he is unfit to lead others. A sheriff who sees the wrongs being done under the guise of patiotism and does nothing to correct it is perhaps unfit to lead. A sheriff who doesn’t recognize that he is being conned by a con wrapping himself in the American flag in order to redirect the attention of his base is perhaps unfit to lead. This sheriff is going to have egg all over his face, for like Nero playing while Rome burned, our president is stirring up more dissent while our fellow countrymen in Puerto Rico are dying from thirst and hunger. Justice for all, Sheriff, is that really what you call it? Really?

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