CLEVELAND – Jim Brown and prospective owner Jimmy Haslam met for dinner Saturday night, another step in Brown’s reconnection with the franchise.
“Jim and I both agreed that it makes total sense for him to be involved with the Browns, and we both agreed it didn’t make sense to rush into anything,” Haslam said before today’s game against the Bills.
Brown and his wife, Monique, had dinner with Haslam and his wife, Dee, after the Browns Legends event. They talked for about an hour.
“We had a fantastic meeting from my point of view,” Brown said. “Very special, very insightful, very open. No trickery, just straight-out honesty. It couldn’t have been a better meeting for me.”
Brown had been estranged from the Browns for two years after president Mike Holmgren tried to reduce his role as adviser to owner Randy Lerner. He returned this weekend to honor his former fullback Ernie Green, who will be inducted into the Legends at halftime.
“In the beginning all I want to do is be an asset to his making the proper transition and not being in his way or ask for anything,” Brown said. “At some later date we can talk about a role that I can play officially.”
Brown also met with Holmgren.
“It was positive. The interesting thing is that all parties seem to be on the same page from the standpoint of the position that we’re in,” Brown said. “The team has been sold and we’re all fighting for the same thing, which is to win, even those who might not be here.
“So Mike was very gracious in his conversation.”
Brown wore a brown sport coat with a Ring of Honor insignia acknowledging his place as a Browns great and Hall of Famer. He joked the jacket didn’t fit.
“I’ll tell you what’s the best thing about it is a lot of the alumni that were there last night, a lot of people said welcome back,” Brown said. “And that was a very nice thing to hear. Because ultimately there’s nothing I can be but a Brown.
“I didn’t play for anybody else, I didn’t set any records anywhere else, I didn’t win any championships anywhere else. So I’m stuck with you guys, whether you want me or not. This is my home.”
HAGG INACTIVE
Free safety Eric Hagg went from starter to healthy inactive.
The second-year player started the first two games but allowed a long touchdown last week in a loss to Cincinnati and coordinator Dick Jauron said this week he needed to make more plays. Usama Young, who hasn’t played a defensive snap this season, will start in his place.
Running back Brandon Jackson was also a healthy inactive for the second straight week. The other inactives: tight end Alex Smith (concussion), quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, receiver Jordan Norwood, linebacker James-Michael Johnson (ribs/oblique) and offensive lineman Ryan Miller.
FUJITA MEETING NOT SET
Browns linebacker Scott Fujita said he doesn’t have a meeting scheduled with commissioner Roger Goodell regarding possible discipline for his alleged role in the Saints’ bounty scandal. Fujita’s three-game suspension was overturned, at least temporarily, by an appeals panel Sept. 7.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Fujita is likely to meet with Goodell on Friday in New York after the Browns play Thursday in Baltimore. But Fujita told The Associated Press this morning nothing is set. He was supposed to do a video conference this past Tuesday, but the NFL canceled it late Monday because it’s insisting on an in-person meeting.
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