NFL’s Browns blackout lifted after team, area businesses combine to purchase remaining seats

NFL’s Browns get blackout lifted for Sunday

BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns have avoided a blackout for Sunday’s NFL game against San Diego by joining with a TV station and several local businesses to guarantee a sellout.

The game will be shown in the Cleveland area on WOIO-TV.

The remaining tickets will be distributed to local charities, including the Cleveland Foodbank, the United Way, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Businesses that helped purchase the tickets also will give them away to customers.

The 1-10 Browns on Thursday received a 24-hour extension to reach a sellout. They were in danger of having their first home blackout since the final game of the 1995 season — the last of the former franchise before it moved to Baltimore.