Browns ownership faces scrutiny for team's woes
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All eyes on Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam. Photo: Nick Cammett/Getty Images
If accountability starts at the top, the Browns' woes over the past decade fall squarely on ownership's shoulders.
Why it matters: Front office controversies combined with yet another losing season have fans questioning the future of Cleveland's football team.
Flashback: Jimmy and Dee Haslam, who at the time owned the truck stop company Pilot Flying J, purchased the Browns from businessman Randy Lerner in 2012 for $1.05 billion.
- The Haslams' reputation took a hit in 2013 when the FBI and IRS raided Pilot Flying J's headquarters over an alleged fraud scheme.
Friction point: Several executives and staffers pleaded guilty to the scheme, while the company paid out $92 million in criminal penalties and $85 million in civil settlements.
- Jimmy Haslam, who stepped down as CEO in 2020, was never formally charged with a crime and has denied knowledge of wrongdoing.
By the numbers: Things didn't go much better on the football field. The Browns have lost nearly two-thirds of their games under the Haslams' regime, only reaching the playoffs twice.
- The team has had seven head coaches during that period.
State of play: The Haslams found more success in hiring current head coach Kevin Stefanski, who earned NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2020 and 2023.
- Yet, but: The Haslams also supported the 2022 acquisition of quarterback Deshaun Watson, whose sexual misconduct allegations made the move polarizing amongst fans.
Between the lines: The Browns' poor play this season has been overshadowed by ownership's controversial plan to move the Browns when the lease on the current stadium runs out in 2028.
- The move to a new domed stadium in Brook Park could cost the city of Cleveland $30 million in annual business activity and $11 million in tax revenue.
What they're saying: "The blame has got to be with ownership," longtime Browns fan Pete Kinczcel tells us. "I believe the Haslams want a winner but can't keep their fingers out of the pie and have forced some awful player and business decisions."
- Another fan, Fred Corrigan, says the Haslams are "making Art Modell look like the second [worst] owner in Cleveland Browns history."
The other side: The Browns organization did not respond to Axios' request for comment on our "State of the Browns" series.
- The Haslams have publicly stood by the Watson trade and said stadium plans are driven by "what is best for fans."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that Jimmy and Dee Haslam are previous owners of Pilot Flying J.