This was quite a shocker. It was news that was kept relatively quiet until it was officially announced that the Cleveland Browns franchise has been sold.
The Browns fan base has been through quite a lot over the years, with the worst part being when the team up and left town for greener pastures in Baltimore, who eventually became the Ravens when they team was owned by Art Modell in 1997.
The Browns were eventually brought back to Cleveland in 1999 under new owner Al Lerner.
Then in August of 2012, Jimmy Haslam bought the franchise and has brought more success to the franchise than they have seen in quite some time.
It’s been just under 10 years since Haslam bought the Browns franchise, and Cleveland’s future has never looked brighter.
Although the Browns have a losing record under his ownership of 44-94-1, the Browns have seemingly turned a corner in its franchise’s history with nee quarterback DeShaun Watson at the helm. Haslam had the following to say about Watson joining the organization and the future of the Browns, more specifically about acquiring DeShaun Watson and why the Browns decided to pursue him.
“It was definitely conceived by football operations,” Haslam said. “I can tell you it was widely vetted throughout our organization, including ownership, but it was conceived in football operations. We got very comfortable with Deshaun Watson, the person,” Haslam told reporters.
