President Mike Holmgren hopes Jimmy Haslam’s Cleveland Browns takeover not to affect him– NFL News
Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren has ruled out a possibility of him being affected by the upcoming change in the ownership of the team, insisting he will stick along for the period of his contract at least.
The Browns are sold to truck-stop magnate Jimmy Haslam III in a billion dollars deal and there is a fear that the new owner will go for rash changes in the franchise after formally accepting the reign.
Mike said he will be with the Browns until end of 2014 when his contract expires.
He said:
"I've never quit anything in my life."
Holmgren, who has had probably the most successful tenure of the league as a coach, refrained from discussing an option of going back into the role if required by the new owner.
Also, he did not see much change in the team’s activity since emergence of the potential deal talks, emphasising the business is as usual, with all officials and players remaining focused to their responsibilities.
The official said:
"All you can do is what you can do and I believe in the people we have here. They are going about business as usual. I talked to the whole building a while ago, not only the coaches and the football people, but everyone else in the building, and said, 'OK,
you're good. We see light at the end of the tunnel and keep doing what you've been doing and we'll see what happens.'"
It is pertinent to note here that Mike at the time of hiring was expected to turn around the Browns, who were then struggling to make an impression on the field. Almost three years on since his arrival in Cleveland, the Browns are still struggling to move
beyond four or five wins each season. So while Holmgren has a remarkable record of helping revival of teams in the league, he is yet to prove himself as far as turning around the Browns is concerned.
He as a matter of fact had earlier been criticised for his loathness about the team’s affairs so much as some quarters even questioned the level of his commitment and sincerity towards his job.
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