Posted on 08/02/2012 10:13:44 AM PDT by RealTeen
Now my favorite football team will be owned by the brother of a Republican Governor who also runs an incredibly successful business and donates to Republican candidates. Can it get any better? Pilot Flying J CEO James "Jimmy" Haslam is set to own the team, per ESPN:
NFL ownership is expected to approve Haslam's purchase at its October meeting. Commissioner Roger Goodell could expedite the process by calling a special meeting, although that is considered unlikely.The only downside of Jimmy Haslam is that he also owns a chunk of the Pittsburgh Steelers and referred to himself as a "1000% Steelers fan". I imagine that will be changing quite a bit with his purchase of the Steelers rival from Ohio, although recently my Browns haven't put up much of a fight. I'm pre-inclined to like the new ownership, so I'm sure Haslam will quickly do something stupid to sour me on him, as is tradition with Cleveland team owners.The NFL helped bring Haslam to Lerner so that a sale could be completed smoothly, efficiently and with a high probability of success. Haslam had informed the league how much he wanted to buy a team, and Lerner -- who is more interested in his soccer team (Aston Villa in England) -- was interested in selling the Browns.
Paperwork between the two sides was completed Thursday morning.
Haslam is president and CEO of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America with more than 550 retail locations. He is the older brother of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who also worked for the family business before he was elected mayor of Knoxville in 2003 and again in 2007, then governor in 2010.
BROWNS!?!?!?!
That’s racist!
FWIW, Bill Haslam is a huge RINO. TN always seems to elect them...
He should hire Limbaugh as a public relations rep.
< snide >
That bastard republican is obviously trying to make a profit someway in this transaction..
You gotta watch them capitalists every minute...
They’ll make lemonade out of lemons..
< /snide >
I don’t see how anybody on FR could be a Steelers fan.
Rooney gave so much to Baraq they made him an ambassador, then he came back for the 2012 campaign.
Can’t get excited about a an ex-Cowboys, ex-Steelers fan buying the Browns. I don’t care if he is Conservative,Republican. RINO, Democrat or a Stalinist. I want an owner that wakes up thinking about the Browns in a Super Bowl, goes to sleep with that same thought and in between is gulping Tums and Nexiums because they may not make their 10th straight Super Bowl.
Can’t get excited about a an ex-Cowboys, ex-Steelers fan buying the Browns. I don’t care if he is Conservative,Republican. RINO, Democrat or a Stalinist. I want an owner that wakes up thinking about the Browns in a Super Bowl, goes to sleep with that same thought and in between is gulping Tums and Nexiums because they may not make their 10th straight Super Bowl.
I don't think you have to worry about that. The Haslam’s LOVE football.
Jim Sr is probably the number one contributor and supporter of UT (Tennessee) athletics for all teams including women's teams.
You will probably see a team made up of SEC players and SEC coaches and a desire to win like you have never seen before.
The Browns have a real shot this year with Brandon Weeden, former quarterback of the defending Big 12 and Fiesta Bowl Champions, Oklahoma State University.
“The Haslams LOVE football”
You have missed my point entirely. I don’t want an owner that loves football or even takes one to bed every night. I want an owner that loves the CLEVELAND BROWNS. I want an owner that instead of paying his mortgage he buys an autographed copy of a towel that Otto Graham used or the facebar they took off Dante Lavelli’s helmet or the original suit worn by Abe Abraham.
Root for them all you want, but the Bengals are gonna destroy EVERYONE in the division this year. :) Yeah, I am biased.
I don't have to change my love for my team just because the patriarch of the family that owns them got so old and senile that Obama seemed like a good idea.
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