Josh Cribbs Bid Browns Fans A Heartwarming Goodbye On Instagram

Put this on in the background; it's time to get emotional.

After eight years with the Browns, the only NFL team he's ever known, return specialist Josh Cribbs is on his way to Arizona. As the news became official, Cribbs posted this inspirational collage to his Instagram account, to thank Cleveland fans for their support.

It's been a blessing to be in Cleveland, wishing the best to the city & the Team. If I could stay I would...

It's interesting for two reasons: first, Cribbs doesn't actually have a deal in place with the Cardinals yet. This'll be awkward if it doesn't work out.

Second, Instagram is not usually the forum for athletes publicly saying goodbye to cities where they've spent most of their professional lives. The full-page newspaper ad has tended to be the platform of choice—in just the last year we've seen ads from Ray Allen, Dwight Howard, Shane Victorino, Rick Nash, and countless others. Maybe this is just the march of social media, but I like it. Cribbs's goodbye seems more homemade and personal, and less the work of a player's marketing agent looking for good PR. And besides, more people use Instagram than read the paper anyway.