Browns’ Haslam: No plans to step aside

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam (center), shown with then-team president Mike Holmgren (right) in 2012, said he will continue to run the Browns despite a federal investigation into fraud within Pilot Flying J, of which he is the president.
Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam (center), shown with then-team president Mike Holmgren (right) in 2012, said he will continue to run the Browns despite a federal investigation into fraud within Pilot Flying J, of which he is the president.

CLEVELAND - Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam pledged to continue running his family’s business - and NFL team - amid a federal investigation into fraud within his company.

Haslam said Friday he has no plans to step aside as president of Pilot Flying J despite federal authorities alleging he was aware of a widespread scheme to defraud customers of the truck stop chain. According to court documents, sales team members said Haslam was aware that employees withheld diesel price rebates and discounts from Pilot customers to boost the company’s profits and sales commissions.

After spending a day at the Browns’ headquarters in Berea, Ohio, Haslam returned to Tennessee to profess his innocence and say he wasn’t stepping down during the probe.

“I thought to myself, ‘Well, why would I do that?’ Candidly, I haven’t done anything wrong, No. 1,” Haslam said at Pilot’s headquarters in Knoxville. “No. 2, if there’s ever a time the company needs our leadership, it’s right now.”

Haslam did not address the Browns while talking to reporters. He also refused to answer questions.

Later, during an appearance at the University of Tennessee, Haslam told The Associated Press his role with the Browns would remain the same.

“No change. I look forward to the draft next week,” he said.

This will be the Browns’ first draft under Haslam, who bought the franchise last year from Randy Lerner for just more than $1 billion. Lerner still maintains 30 percent of the team, but that will be transferred to Haslam in four years.

Earlier, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league had no plans to ask Haslam to step aside.

Haslam’s second meeting this week with reporters came one day after a 120-page affidavit was unsealed in Knoxville. The document says Haslam knew about a fraud scheme committed by top sales officials in the company that targeted some unsophisticated trucking companies.

Haslam stepped down as Pilot’s CEO shortly after his purchase of the Browns was approved by NFL owners in October. However, he returned to the company in February, saying he needed to be involved in the business, which his father started in 1958.

Sports, Pages 28 on 04/20/2013

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