Photo Credit: WOIOBEREA, Ohio (AP) - The new owner of the Cleveland Browns said his mission is to bring "winning back to Cleveland" and proclaimed there's "zero chance" he'll move the club out of town.
A day after agreeing to purchase the Browns for a reported $1 billion, truck-stop magnate Jimmy Haslam III held a news conference Friday at the Browns' training camp facility. Introduced by Browns President Mike Holmgren, Haslam said his family is excited to be in Cleveland and he's "100 percent committed to making the Cleveland Browns winners again."
The Browns are looking for their first NFL championship in nearly a half century. The expansion Browns entered the NFL in 1999 and have made the playoffs just once. They've had two winning records in 13 seasons and are 68-140 since they returned.
Randy Lerner reached a deal Thursday to sell the club to Haslam, a minority stockholder in the rival Steelers. Haslam must divest his interest in the Steelers and also gain approval for the purchase from the NFL.
Jimmy Haslam is the brother of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, and the CEO of Pilot Flying J Corporation.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
