It was supposed to be a unified front. Instead, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam just threw his general manager under the bus. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday night, July 29, Haslam distanced himself from the team’s polarizing decision to draft Shedeur Sanders with the 5th round pick.
“We have good process,” Haslam said, before making it abundantly clear whose fingerprints were on the trigger. “We had a conversation early that morning and then we had a conversation later that day. I think we had the right people involved in the conversation. At the end of the day, that’s Andrew Berry’s call. Andrew made the call to pick Shedeur.” Meaning? I didn’t want him, Berry did.
For weeks, whispers around the league suggested Haslam was the one pushing for the flashy, high-profile quarterback from Colorado. That narrative got flipped on its head with Haslam’s remarks, shifting the spotlight and the accountability onto GM Andrew Berry, who now appears isolated if Shedeur doesn’t pan out. But that wasn’t the only landmine Haslam dropped.
Jimmy Haslam on speculation that he forced the Browns’ pick of Shedeur Sanders: “We have good process. We had a conversation early that morning and then we had a conversation later that day. I think we had the right people involved in the conversation. And the end of the day,…
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) July 29, 2025
When asked if Deshaun Watson, the man he once called a franchise savior and backed with $230 million fully guaranteed, could suit up again for the Browns, Haslam didn’t mince his words, “I think it’s premature. I don’t think anything’s changed on this situation since we were together in March.”
What’s left is a front office fractured by optics, a locker room likely unsettled by leadership drama, and a fanbase wondering what direction this franchise is even headed in. For a team desperate to turn the page, Haslam may have just written two new chapters, one titled Blame Game, the other No Way Back.
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