(Cleveland) – The 50th graduation ceremony for the Greater Cleveland Drug Court, under the direction of Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren C. Moore will be held at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at the Dolan Center Auditorium of John Carroll University.  

A total of 27 people will graduate, which brings the total number of people who successfully completed the program to 1,495 since it began 18 years ago.  Of that number, almost 80% remain sober and drug-free.

The Keynote Speaker is former Cleveland Browns Head Coach Sam Rutigliano, one person who is no stranger to what Drug Court is all about.

During his tenure with the Browns, substance abuse, mainly cocaine, was a rampant problem among players, so the NFL mandated the hiring of a psychiatric professional specializing in the field.  Sam was the first NFL coach to comply with the policy and Dr. Gregory Collins of the Cleveland Clinic was hired as the Browns addiction recovery physician.  Wanting to take the policy further, Sam founded the “Inner Circle” to assist players who would not come forward with their addiction problems.  About a dozen players participated.

“Sam Rutigliano cared about his players both on and off the field and he was the right person at the right time for the Cleveland Browns.   We’re all looking forward to his words of inspiration,” said Judge Lauren Moore, who has overseen the Greater Cleveland Drug Court since January.

Former Browns wide receiver Reggie Langhorne will also be at the ceremony to tell his story of recovery and the importance of Drug Court.

To this day, Sam Rutigliano considers the Inner Circle his greatest accomplishment as an NFL coach and Dr. Collins has lobbied to have him inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, primarily for his work with the Inner Circle.

By the way, Dr. Collins became a member of our Drug Court Advisory Board when the program started in 1998 and remains on the board today.