Browns Owner Tells Mentor Crowd They Deserve a Winner

As Jimmy Haslam settled into Greater Cleveland after his October purchase of the Browns, his wife, Dee, became struck by the amicability of most Northeast Ohioans she met.

"Dee and I were getting on a plane about four months ago and she says, 'everybody is so nice to us here,'" he recalled. "I said, 'honey, if we don't win in a couple years, it may not be so warm.

"I get it."

Haslam, who purchased the Browns for $1 billion in October, spoke for about 15 minutes Thursday morning at United Way of Lake County's annual meeting. Organization personnel said Haslam flew into Cleveland specifically for the event, and briskly exited LaMalfa Centre to head back to his plane.

He spent the majority of his time on stage telling the audience of area entrepreneurs, educators and United Way donors that he is dedicated to producing a winner for the brown and orange. 

"We're competitive people anyway, but I can tell you we want to win now more than ever having been up here eight months," he said. "We want to win for you guys, the fans, because you guys deserve it because you're so supportive and unwavering. I promise you we're going to work hard and do everything possible."

The owner said he spent the previous night on the phone with team president Joe Banner until 11:30 p.m. reviewing strategies and possibilities for the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft. He said the regime is focused on building a consistent winner and one capable of finally beating the rivals in Pittsburgh and the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

Haslam said he had always heard that Cleveland was a great football town, and he got a small sense of that in his years as a minority owner of the Steelers. Now, he understands that the area's love for football is "overwhelming." 

"What's really big in the South, where we're from, particularly the Southeast, is college football," he said. "Here, Ohio State is obviously very big, but in Northeastern Ohio, it's the Browns and high school football.

"As I go around a meet community leaders, everyone is telling me who they played high school football for — and these are guys my age (saying), 'I played for St. Ignatius, I played for St. Ed's or I played for Mentor.'"

Despite the prominence his ownership of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot Flying J has brought him over the years, Haslam has been delighted by a different set of perks presented to him as Browns owner. He has wound up at dinner tables with Jon Bon Jovi, the presidents of McDonalds and Disney and Cleveland legend Jim Brown.

"Being an NFL owner is a blast," Haslam said.

Of course, ending the streak of dismal seasons would only add to the fun.

"We are totally committed to bringing a winner to the Cleveland Browns and are excited about doing so," he said.