Reports were circulating that the Cleveland Browns were for sale, however a spokesman with the team said the Browns were in fact not for sale. Neal Gulkis, the team’s vice president of media relations said “the Browns are not for sale.”
The rumors started when a Philadelphia radio personality, Howard Eskin, posted on his twitter page that former Eagles president Joe Banner was putting together a group to try and purchase the Buffalo Bills. He also mentioned that the Browns and St. Louis Rams might be for sale.
The Browns are currently owned by the Lerner family since 1999 when Cleveland was awarded an expansion franchise after the original Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens.
The hysteria surrounding the news is partially due to reports that the Los Angeles area was looking for an NFL franchise, many speculating that the Vikings would be moved there. However if the Browns were for sale and a group from LA were able to purchase the teams the Browns’ faithful could be set for heartbreak twice in 2 decades.
Randy Lerner, who inherited the team from his father Al, who passed in 2002, also owns English soccer club, Aston Villa.
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