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Haslam May Be Forced To Sell Browns

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  • most facial comps i've seen have the chick wiping the goo off with a 'dick mellon'.

    Dick MellonD Dick Mellon wrote on last edited by
    #20

    @miktoxic said:

    most facial comps i've seen have the chick wiping the goo off with a 'dick mellon'.

    Is this only incomprehensible to me, or is it generally incomprehensible?

    Can I get a Browns fan to interpret this for me?

    Please forgive me, but I got a shitty education at the Pittsburgh Public School.

  • @unsympathetic said:

    Proof, people, proof.

    All we've seen are people wildly speculating that something might happen.

    Validation from the company of

    1) what an expected settlement amount of each lawsuit WILL be [Not might. Not expected. The dollars and pennies] and

    2) what of those dollars will come out of Haslam's personal stash [not what might]

    Not from bleacher report, not from espn.com --- from Pilot. Speculation in the form of a tweet is not proof.. everything released to date is exactly zero percent correct.

    A. Making settlements with various companies that were allegedly cheated by Pilot won't cause the criminal cases to go away. That may help in mitigation of sentencing....of whomever is indicted....if anyone is.

    B. Making settlements with those people....and even being convicted will not necessarily have any affect on Haslam's ownership of the Browns.

    Any financial hit be be absorbed by Pilot, not the Browns..

    And, as far as I know, being a convicted felon...or misdemeanant does not disqualify one from being an NFL owner. It may however be the basis of the other owners giving a guy a hard nudge out the door. Like Eddie DeBartolo. The League could suspend Haslam for some years, but I don't know if there is a rule that is hard and fast.

    Having a bad financial situation....like Kiam and Modell, will get you kicked out of ownership faster than being a convict.

    A Assmunch wrote on last edited by
    #21

    @the-gipper said:

    A. Making settlements with various companies that were allegedly cheated by Pilot won't cause the criminal cases to go away. That may help in mitigation of sentencing....of whomever is indicted....if anyone is.

    B. Making settlements with those people....and even being convicted will not necessarily have any affect on Haslam's ownership of the Browns.

    Any financial hit be be absorbed by Pilot, not the Browns..

    And, as far as I know, being a convicted felon...or misdemeanant does not disqualify one from being an NFL owner. It may however be the basis of the other owners giving a guy a hard nudge out the door. Like Eddie DeBartolo. The League could suspend Haslam for some years, but I don't know if there is a rule that is hard and fast.

    Having a bad financial situation....like Kiam and Modell, will get you kicked out of ownership faster than being a convict.

    This is a very serious matter adn the fact that a high profile guy like former FBI director Louis Freeh is representing thetrucking companies is not plesant for Haslam. The Browns will be the lat thing on haslam's mind in the coming months, no different thatit was under Lerner. Very sad.

  • It does not matter what happens to Haslam.

    Please don't shed any tears for Haslam.

    Haslam is your new Art Modell, or possibly even worse.

    Haslam promised you suckers that he won't move the team.

    Yinz ate it up when Art Modell told you the same thing.

    Haslam is a Steelers fan from out-of-state.

    He is no friend of yurs, nor a friend of da Browns.

    Haslam buying the Browns is worse than if I bought the Browns, coz I would at least tell yinz the truth that I'm moving the hell outta the rustbelt ASAP!

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on last edited by
    #22

    @dick-mellon said:

    It does not matter what happens to Haslam.

    Please don't shed any tears for Haslam.

    Haslam is your new Art Modell, or possibly even worse.

    Haslam promised you suckers that he won't move the team.

    Yinz ate it up when Art Modell told you the same thing.

    Haslam is a Steelers fan from out-of-state.

    He is no friend of yurs, nor a friend of da Browns.

    Haslam buying the Browns is worse than if I bought the Browns, coz I would at least tell yinz the truth that I'm moving the hell outta the rustbelt ASAP!

    Haslam was no more of a Steeler fan than he was a Browns fan. He invested in the Steelers merely because there was an opportunity there and as a foray into principle ownership of a team...which turned out to be the Browns. So, he was a fan of where his money is.

    But, he admitted that before getting into NFL investment, he was a Cowboys fan....so that may be where his FRAK heart lies.

  • The NFL has egg on its face for not preforming due diligence in terms of looking for any skeletons associated with Haslam. Can

    you truly believe that they were not in the loop regarding Flying J being investigated for the federal crimes for which they have been

    charged, while reviewing his application to buy the Browns? I think they knew, but Haslam sold them on the proposition that

    the investigation was minor in nature and that he (Haslam) could deal with it in a manner suitable to the feds and the league. Well, the

    chicken has come home to roost and after he gets broadsided in federal court the IRS with come in to pick the bones from the Flying J

    carcass. He may be able to adsorb the financial hits and stay afloat but I have a suspicion the NFL will levy the death penalty and force

    him to sell the Browns. How else could they polish their tarnished image and remove that crusty egg goo?

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on last edited by
    #23

    @slowburn said:

    The NFL has egg on its face for not preforming due diligence in terms of looking for any skeletons associated with Haslam. Can

    you truly believe that they were not in the loop regarding Flying J being investigated for the federal crimes for which they have been

    charged, while reviewing his application to buy the Browns? I think they knew, but Haslam sold them on the proposition that

    the investigation was minor in nature and that he (Haslam) could deal with it in a manner suitable to the feds and the league. Well, the

    chicken has come home to roost and after he gets broadsided in federal court the IRS with come in to pick the bones from the Flying J

    carcass. He may be able to adsorb the financial hits and stay afloat but I have a suspicion the NFL will levy the death penalty and force

    him to sell the Browns. How else could they polish their tarnished image and remove that crusty egg goo?

    The only reason that the NFL would force him into selling the Browns is if this situation began to seriously affect the financial stability of the team itself. That was the reason they forced Victor Kiam, Leonard Tose, and Art Modell to sell their teams.

    It is way, way too premature to tell if that could happen....plus, the fact is, Haslam is far more well heeled than Kiam, Tose, and Modell ever were.

    In a certain reality, Haslam could lose the entire Flying J Pilot Enterprise and still be able to run an NFL team. For the Rooneys and Jerry Jones (and maybe a couple of others) owning and running an NFL team is their sole profession.

  • @the-gipper said:

    A. Making settlements with various companies that were allegedly cheated by Pilot won't cause the criminal cases to go away. That may help in mitigation of sentencing....of whomever is indicted....if anyone is.

    B. Making settlements with those people....and even being convicted will not necessarily have any affect on Haslam's ownership of the Browns.

    Any financial hit be be absorbed by Pilot, not the Browns..

    And, as far as I know, being a convicted felon...or misdemeanant does not disqualify one from being an NFL owner. It may however be the basis of the other owners giving a guy a hard nudge out the door. Like Eddie DeBartolo. The League could suspend Haslam for some years, but I don't know if there is a rule that is hard and fast.

    Having a bad financial situation....like Kiam and Modell, will get you kicked out of ownership faster than being a convict.

    This is a very serious matter adn the fact that a high profile guy like former FBI director Louis Freeh is representing thetrucking companies is not plesant for Haslam. The Browns will be the lat thing on haslam's mind in the coming months, no different thatit was under Lerner. Very sad.

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on last edited by
    #24

    Skeptical2013 said:

    This is a very serious matter adn the fact that a high profile guy like former FBI director Louis Freeh is representing thetrucking companies is not plesant for Haslam. The Browns will be the lat thing on haslam's mind in the coming months, no different thatit was under Lerner. Very sad.

    The fact that a guy with a name that you have heard of is involved doesn't increase the ability of those companies to win.

    It just brings publicity to the case that impresses celebrity jock sniffers....like you to think "Oh My God....Jesus is back walking the Earth". No, sorry. Just a name. The best attorneys are guys you have never heard of.

  • slowburnS slowburn wrote on last edited by
    #25

    And what a sole profession it has become for Jones:

    http://www.forbes.com/teams/dallas-cowboys/

  • Kosar_For_PresidentK Kosar_For_President wrote on last edited by
    #26
  • Skeptical2013 said:

    This is a very serious matter adn the fact that a high profile guy like former FBI director Louis Freeh is representing thetrucking companies is not plesant for Haslam. The Browns will be the lat thing on haslam's mind in the coming months, no different thatit was under Lerner. Very sad.

    The fact that a guy with a name that you have heard of is involved doesn't increase the ability of those companies to win.

    It just brings publicity to the case that impresses celebrity jock sniffers....like you to think "Oh My God....Jesus is back walking the Earth". No, sorry. Just a name. The best attorneys are guys you have never heard of.

    A Assmunch wrote on last edited by
    #27

    @the-gipper said:

    The fact that a guy with a name that you have heard of is involved doesn't increase the ability of those companies to win.

    It just brings publicity to the case that impresses celebrity jock sniffers....like you to think "Oh My God....Jesus is back walking the Earth". No, sorry. Just a name. The best attorneys are guys you have never heard of.

    That may or may not be true, but the dynamic you don't consider is publicity. Louis Freeh has a name, and that name may allow him to get on TV networks like ABC, CBS with 60 Minutes or CNN and talk about the situation, and that in turn makes the case more high profile and that in turn gets the attention of the PR conscious NFL and makes them very nervous and that in turn means more squeezing of Mr .Haslam. Some of the gamsemanship is about putting pressure on Haslam, and having a "name" attorney with the case may accomplish that. Sounds like a Grisham novel to me, with Browns fans the pawns caught in the middle somewhere.

  • @the-gipper said:

    The fact that a guy with a name that you have heard of is involved doesn't increase the ability of those companies to win.

    It just brings publicity to the case that impresses celebrity jock sniffers....like you to think "Oh My God....Jesus is back walking the Earth". No, sorry. Just a name. The best attorneys are guys you have never heard of.

    That may or may not be true, but the dynamic you don't consider is publicity. Louis Freeh has a name, and that name may allow him to get on TV networks like ABC, CBS with 60 Minutes or CNN and talk about the situation, and that in turn makes the case more high profile and that in turn gets the attention of the PR conscious NFL and makes them very nervous and that in turn means more squeezing of Mr .Haslam. Some of the gamsemanship is about putting pressure on Haslam, and having a "name" attorney with the case may accomplish that. Sounds like a Grisham novel to me, with Browns fans the pawns caught in the middle somewhere.

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on last edited by The Gipper
    #28

    Skeptical2013 said:

    That may or may not be true, but the dynamic you don't consider is publicity

    Louis Freeh has a name, and that name may allow him to get on TV networks like ABC, CBS with 60 Minutes or CNN and talk about the situation, and that in turn makes the case more high profile and that in turn gets the attention of the PR conscious NFL and makes them very nervous and that in turn means more squeezing of Mr .Haslam. Some of the gamsemanship is about putting pressure on Haslam, and having a "name" attorney with the case may accomplish that. Sounds like a Grisham novel to me, with Browns fans the pawns caught in the middle somewhere.

    Publicity is relevent. He is already an NFL owner so the spotlight on him will be very high.

    The league is PR conscious....but adding Louis Freeh's name to this does not heighten or jeopardize Haslam's situation by one cabbage fart.

    Maybe it has some affect on dumbasses in the public (like you apparently). It has no effect on his NFL owner partners.

    Could they do something to him if he is convicted? Certainly. Yes they are PR conscious. But those NFL owners are not swayed by the fact that Louis Freeh or Clarence Darrow or F.Lee Bailey or Mickey Mouse is associated.

    If JH wanted to play dueling celebrity lawyers all he would have to do is hire one of these guys;

    http://www.businessinsider.com/top-ten-celebrity-lawyers-2009-10?op=1

    But I can tell you, having a celebrity lawyer on the other side don't mean nothing. Celebrity lawyers clients still can get the needle.

  • Z Zombo wrote on last edited by
    #29

  • Skeptical2013 said:

    That may or may not be true, but the dynamic you don't consider is publicity

    Louis Freeh has a name, and that name may allow him to get on TV networks like ABC, CBS with 60 Minutes or CNN and talk about the situation, and that in turn makes the case more high profile and that in turn gets the attention of the PR conscious NFL and makes them very nervous and that in turn means more squeezing of Mr .Haslam. Some of the gamsemanship is about putting pressure on Haslam, and having a "name" attorney with the case may accomplish that. Sounds like a Grisham novel to me, with Browns fans the pawns caught in the middle somewhere.

    Publicity is relevent. He is already an NFL owner so the spotlight on him will be very high.

    The league is PR conscious....but adding Louis Freeh's name to this does not heighten or jeopardize Haslam's situation by one cabbage fart.

    Maybe it has some affect on dumbasses in the public (like you apparently). It has no effect on his NFL owner partners.

    Could they do something to him if he is convicted? Certainly. Yes they are PR conscious. But those NFL owners are not swayed by the fact that Louis Freeh or Clarence Darrow or F.Lee Bailey or Mickey Mouse is associated.

    If JH wanted to play dueling celebrity lawyers all he would have to do is hire one of these guys;

    http://www.businessinsider.com/top-ten-celebrity-lawyers-2009-10?op=1

    But I can tell you, having a celebrity lawyer on the other side don't mean nothing. Celebrity lawyers clients still can get the needle.

    A Assmunch wrote on last edited by
    #30

    @the-gipper said:

    Publicity is relevent. He is already an NFL owner so the spotlight on him will be very high.

    The league is PR conscious....but adding Louis Freeh's name to this does not heighten or jeopardize Haslam's situation by one cabbage fart.

    Maybe it has some affect on dumbasses in the public (like you apparently). It has no effect on his NFL owner partners.

    Could they do something to him if he is convicted? Certainly. Yes they are PR conscious. But those NFL owners are not swayed by the fact that Louis Freeh or Clarence Darrow or F.Lee Bailey or Mickey Mouse is associated.

    If JH wanted to play dueling celebrity lawyers all he would have to do is hire one of these guys;

    http://www.businessinsider.com/top-ten-celebrity-lawyers-2009-10?op=1

    But I can tell you, having a celebrity lawyer on the other side don't mean nothing. Celebrity lawyers clients still can get the needle.

    I think it's wonderful you think that NFL owners could care less et al and bad PR wouldn't impact them, but there are many instances in politics, sports and corporate life where I have seen similar situations where people dig in, only to capitulate in the end due to a mounting, irreversible tide of media and public dismay and call for action. If we learn there is irrefutable evidence that Haslam had a hand in the price fixing, he is toast as an owner in the NFL. Period. You may not believe it. But I do.

  • P Pumpkin Eater wrote on last edited by
    #31

    Yeah, the FBI and irs are never wrong. Just ask the guy they tried to blame for trying to poison the president. Then go ask some of the conservative political groups the irs was targeting.

  • htownbrownH htownbrown wrote on last edited by
    #32

    Just walked into flying j to buy my nieces some candy. Sign in the aisle says 2 king sized candies for 3 bucks. They ring up as $1.89 a piece, I ask why they are not 2 for $3. The lady tells me I need a customer loyalty card. No big deal, besides the irony of it, but why continue to flaunt the same types of promotions that has fucked you up in the first place? Now its not the same as what happened to the truckers, but these types of things annoy the average 'disloyal' customer. The way I see it they should be in damage control......hell this place is no where near as full as it was months ago. Theyre a business they can charge what they want, but just stop it already with this semi fraudulent type of bullshit promotions. I don't want to seem like I'm pissed about a dollar, but if it was more money I would be pissed about the gimmicks that wasted my time and money.

    Long story short: these guys really aren't good business strategists and are probably gonna get fucked with no lube in court.

  • Yeah, the FBI and irs are never wrong. Just ask the guy they tried to blame for trying to poison the president. Then go ask some of the conservative political groups the irs was targeting.

    DieHardBrownsFanD DieHardBrownsFan wrote on last edited by
    #33

    @pumpkin-eater said:

    Yeah, the FBI and irs are never wrong. Just ask the guy they tried to blame for trying to poison the president. Then go ask some of the conservative political groups the irs was targeting.

    Big difference. The investigation into Flying J has been ongoing for over 2 years.

  • @the-gipper said:

    Publicity is relevent. He is already an NFL owner so the spotlight on him will be very high.

    The league is PR conscious....but adding Louis Freeh's name to this does not heighten or jeopardize Haslam's situation by one cabbage fart.

    Maybe it has some affect on dumbasses in the public (like you apparently). It has no effect on his NFL owner partners.

    Could they do something to him if he is convicted? Certainly. Yes they are PR conscious. But those NFL owners are not swayed by the fact that Louis Freeh or Clarence Darrow or F.Lee Bailey or Mickey Mouse is associated.

    If JH wanted to play dueling celebrity lawyers all he would have to do is hire one of these guys;

    http://www.businessinsider.com/top-ten-celebrity-lawyers-2009-10?op=1

    But I can tell you, having a celebrity lawyer on the other side don't mean nothing. Celebrity lawyers clients still can get the needle.

    I think it's wonderful you think that NFL owners could care less et al and bad PR wouldn't impact them, but there are many instances in politics, sports and corporate life where I have seen similar situations where people dig in, only to capitulate in the end due to a mounting, irreversible tide of media and public dismay and call for action. If we learn there is irrefutable evidence that Haslam had a hand in the price fixing, he is toast as an owner in the NFL. Period. You may not believe it. But I do.

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on last edited by
    #34

    Skeptical2013 said:

    I think it's wonderful you think that NFL owners could care less et al and bad PR wouldn't impact them, but there are many instances in politics, sports and corporate life where I have seen similar situations where people dig in, only to capitulate in the end due to a mounting, irreversible tide of media and public dismay and call for action. If we learn there is irrefutable evidence that Haslam had a hand in the price fixing, he is toast as an owner in the NFL. Period. You may not believe it. But I do.

    Either you can't read, or you choose not to. I did say that PR is an important issue to the NFL. But I also said that no one in the NFL gives a shit that Louis Freeh...or any other celebrity lawyer's name is attached to this case. There are 32 owners and 32 coaches and 500 NFL players who are more famous than this "celebrity" lawyer. No one gives a shit about his name.

    And if Haslam is involved in defrauding his customer's out of rebates (you couldn't even get what he was accused of right), he is by no means "toast" as an NFL owner.

    They will only ask him to remove himself if his legal situation causes his financial situation to suffer....and thereby causing the Browns financial situation to suffer.

    If he is "merely" convicted of a crime, he could be suspended for a period...just so the NFL can show they are doing something affirmative about a "criminal" in their midst....but unless they teams situation is in jeapordy, they will not force him to sell.

    Again, I use situations where a person outside legal/financial issues cause great concern to the NFL team:

    A. Banks were threatening to foreclose on and attach the Ravens...thus Modell was putsched.

    B. Same basic deal with Kiam. He lost his wad on his razor business...and one of his business partners...Orthwein I believe was making noise about coming after the Pats. To resolve that situation, Kiam sold out to Orthwein, removing himself....and Orthwein in like 2 years sold out to Robert Kraft.

    C. Leonard Tose, Eagles owner amassed huge gambling debts to Atlantic City Casinos. The casinos wanted a piece of the Eagles action.....and no fucking way was the NFL going to allow that, so they forced Tose to sell the Eagles.

    If it comes down to the point that lawsuits/criminal penalties etc. would affect the Browns...then Haslam could be forced out...but that is unlikely because all those guys would first go after Pilot....and that is a very valuable venture....far more valuable than the Cleveland Browns. They would have to go a long, long way before affecting the Browns.

    But....you believe what you wish. And keep looking to the sky, Chicken Little.

  • U Unsympathetic wrote on last edited by Unsympathetic
    #35

    Read this new article out at SI.

    As I've said before and will say again: If you've got proof that Haslam will actually be forced to sell, show it. Your assumptions mean nothing - and negative crap about Haslam is nothing but slander.

  • Read this new article out at SI.

    As I've said before and will say again: If you've got proof that Haslam will actually be forced to sell, show it. Your assumptions mean nothing - and negative crap about Haslam is nothing but slander.

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on last edited by
    #36

    @unsympathetic said:

    Read this new article out at SI.

    As I've said before and will say again: If you've got proof that Haslam will actually be forced to sell, show it. Your assumptions mean nothing - and negative crap about Haslam is nothing but slander.

    It is not slander...legally. But it may, indeed, be misinformed...and totally premature.