What did Jimmy Haslam really mean when he talked about Shedeur Sanders at Browns training camp?

Blame him for plenty, but Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said he’s not directly responsible for a recent high-profile draft pick.

While his influence is undeniable, Haslam said Tuesday that he didn’t force general manager Andrew Berry to take rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in April.

Cleveland, which has been in a never-ending search for a franchise QB, selected Sanders in the fifth round – two rounds after taking Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel . The surprising choice — Sanders had been expected to go as high as No. 2 overall and the Browns passed on him six times – fueled speculation that Haslam, known for a hands-on approach during his tenure and captured on camera sitting in the draft room on Day 3 when the pick was announced, had orchestrated the move.

Not true, Haslam said.

“Listen. We have good process,” Haslam said as he and wife, Dee, held their annual training camp media briefing. “If you’d have told me Friday night (Day 2) driving home, y’all are going to pick Shedeur, I would have said, ‘That’s not happening.’ But, we had a conversation early that morning and we had a conversation later that day. I think we had the right people involved in the conversation. | https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-owner-jimmy-haslam-says-drafting-rookie-qb-shedeur-sanders-in-fifth-round-was-gm-s-decision

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Epicor
From small businesses with big dreams to growing enterprises with global vision, we’ll equip you with the right tools to move forward, think ahead, and lead the way. Discover your success at www.easierwithepicor.com.
Living For We
New episodes drop every other Tuesday, starting February 11th. Listen to Living For We wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the video version on Ideastream’s YouTube channel. Learn more at ideastream.com/podcast/living-for-we.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k
Did you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.
Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.
Buckeye State Credit Union is a LOCAL brand that offers a wide range of products from checking accounts to home equity lines of credit & auto loans. Head to Buckeyecu.org for more information.
Menu RX: “Whether you’re chasing peak performance, building your dream body, or seeking optimal longevity, Menu-Rx will help you reach your goals. Go to Menu-RX dot com to get your consultation today.”
Buckeye State Credit Union
Experience the difference with Buckeye State Credit Union. We make banking effortless and convenient for you. Visit us online at buckeyecu.org and discover how Buckeye State Credit Union simplifies your financial journey. Buckeye State Credit Union – Your Money, Simplified.

Subscribe and ring the bell for the latest talk about the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeyes: https://bit.ly/ucss_subscribe

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ultclesports

Watch live on YouTube 11 a.m.-1 p.m. weekdays on YouTube and WKYC+ on your Roku and Fire TV apps!

The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show is your daily source of the best conversation about the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeyes, as well as sports throughout Northeast Ohio. Produced by Mike Lucas, Anthony Antonelli, and Earl Mauldin. Hosted by Jay Crawford, Adam the Bull, G Bush, Jason Lloyd, and Tyvis Powell.

First, we gotta talk a little football and before we do that, we gotta fuel up, turn up with 5 hour energy transfusion. It brings the bold grape, ginger and lime flavor flavor of your favorite golf drink, minus the alcohol into a quick energizing shot, whether you’re sinking birdies or just making memories with friends. This one’s a hole in one for your energy game. And let’s be honest. Some days on the course and even off it, you just need that extra boost to stay sharp and energized. Golf is all about the good times with good people and good flavors, of course. The grape, ginger, lime flavor gives you the best parts of your clubhouse go to without chasing down the beverage cart. If you go to 5 hour Energy.com today. That is the number 5 hour Energy.com. You can use promo code a lot. Golf to receive 20% off your order. The offer is only valid until September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions. The code is not good on subscription orders. Whether you’re meeting up with friends or trying to turn 18 holes into 36, get the energizing boost you need to power through order transfusion flavored 5 hour energy shots today. Jason, late in yesterday’s show, you mentioned some of Jimmy Haslam’s comments about Shadore Sanders and how you felt like it was being twisted into a story that it never was intended to be. And after you said that, I got flooded on Twitter with questions of what exactly did Jimmy say, what is being twisted. So I did some research and I found that you were very right. People were taking some of these comments, in my opinion, way out of context, saying that the Browns may have drafted Shadoor to try and intentionally tank his career based off what Jimmy said. What we’re gonna be the dumb that that right there might be the dumbest thing I’ve heard in 5 years. So what we’re gonna do is play the clip from Jimmy Haslam’s press conference. Question answer question answer. It was the only part that was related to Shadora Sanders. I have put the question. On the video so you can see word for word what the question is because the reporters aren’t mic’d up. You could hear Jimmy fine, but this is a minute part of Jimmy Haslam’s press conference from earlier this week on Shadoor Sanders and the Browns’ thought process in terms of drafting him. And then I’m very curious to see how you guys took what Jimmy Haslam said and whether or not it aligns with some of these conspiracy theories. This is Jimmy Haslam from earlier this week. We haven’t talked to you. So can you explain why Browns quarterback in the Well, I, I, I think that’s really more of an Andrew question, OK, but I think what, what was that pick 146. We thought he was good value at 146. There’s been kind of like a national. who would you say? Yeah, listen, we have good process, OK, and um if you just told me, let’s see we picked him on Saturday, right? Friday night driving home y’all are gonna pick Shadour, I would say that that’s not happening, but um. We had a conversation early that morning, uh, 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 Shadour just like who’s gonna start or what play we’re gonna call is Kevin’s call, but that’s, uh, that’s Andrew’s call. He made the call. — I’m very curious to what has to say on these
— comments. I don’t know how you can take that as they didn’t want him and they’re trying to ruin his career. I don’t either. Like, what kind of long jump Carl Lewis leap are we making here? They traded up to wreck his career. That’s how diabolical the Browns are. They traded up so they could say. Screw the Sanders family. We’re gonna show, we’re gonna run a ball into the ground. What he’s very clearly saying for anybody with a lick of common sense is when they left the building Friday night, they didn’t think he was gonna be there in the 5th round. They had already had their quarterback. Of course, they weren’t still going to consider taking another quarterback when he kept falling and kept falling and kept falling on Saturday. Regardless of whose decision it was to move up to get them as an organization, they made the decision to move up to get him, not because they’re trying to tank this poor kid’s career because they have a job open at quarterback and they thought, you know what, let’s give him a shot. We never thought he’d be here. The values right. Let’s take them and see. Where else is Shador Sanders. Is going to go that has an opportunity to win a starting job this year where? Tell me, New Orleans? Yeah, OK, I’ll listen to that maybe New Orleans where else is he gonna go where he has a better opportunity to win a starting job than Cleveland. So for all of the fragile people who have lost their minds on this and thinking that the Browns are screwing them, they’re not. This team has needed a quarterback for 25 years. Why on earth would they try and railroad someone who might be able to help them? He’s here. It’s early in camp. They’re giving him opportunities, so let it play out. He’s going to get a ton of snaps in this preseason and let’s see what he can do. But the idea that they’re trying to sabotage him. It is so stupid that I just can’t even, I’m just done. I can’t even wrap my head around it and to try and to manipulate what he said and some idea that he didn’t want or that they were didn’t want him like I, I just don’t understand how you can make that. I would love someone to logically explain it to me because it just doesn’t make any sense at all. G Oh, this is a great one. So let me see if I can break this down. So, when you look at that, that comment, uh, with, uh, you know, Jimmy Haslam is saying, what Jimmy Haslam is saying is obviously, the owner cannot come out and say, you know what, I just woke up and decided I wanted to shootdo Sanders. That’s not the way it works because at the end of the day, that means that’s undermining your general manager and you see, you know, the first thing he said in that clip if you listen to it is, we have a good process. He knows that if he was to do that, a lot of people around the NFL and people in the media would say. That’s not the way it works. The owner shouldn’t just jump in and just pick people and just, you know, uh, tank the entire draft strategy. Think about it. It’s like putting, putting together a whole year process, right? These people have scouts, they have uh people regional scouts, major scouts. They got the front office, they got the analytics, they got the head coach and the coaching staff. These guys have put this plan together for a whole entire year to draft said players. Now, if the narrative is Jimmy Haslam can come in at the very last moment at 12 midnight and be like, you know what? Get rid of all this. We’re not doing that. Um, people will frown upon that. Given the fact that his process and him, him being a person, um, that has been a little bit knee jerk, he’s second to me. I’m the first knee jerk reaction. So that’s not a, you know, it’s not an arism. Here’s the thing. This is why um I say this season is gonna be very poignant and it’s gonna be very interesting because There is not going to be, like I always tell people, don’t fret. There isn’t going to be a way that if Shadorah Sanders is actually playing good football that they can keep him on the sideline and not give him an opportunity to play because people will be loud and very loud about the fact that they want to see him play. That, that is very evident for the Cleveland Browns, I think. That when you say, you know, they wanna, uh, you know, they wanna sabotage him. Here’s the thing about sports in general. When you’re playing and you get to a position during the season. And you could say, all right, we want, we, we’re trying, if there’s any inappropriate behavior where it looks like you’re not trying to win, that don’t work during the season. And to be honest with you, the Cleveland Browns, I don’t believe, can, can afford to go out and be too in something. And play veterans and not give rookies an opportunity because it’ll get loud and it’s gonna get nasty because people are gonna wanna see it. So in that case, no, the Cleveland Browns and Kevin Safansky and Andrew Barry, the best thing in the world for them to do is want to see Shadoor Sanders ball out. The best thing, and by the way, If he does play well, they’re gonna be able to take a great victory lap and get and be able and be able to like sign their deal away for life. Like come on, like you, the first thing they’re gonna say is, look, we took him in the 5th round, nobody else took him in the 5th round. We took him here and guess what, we developed them too and now. I look out. We got, think how smart you look if you have the Deshaun Watson deal, you get him for a discount, you develop him. He’s a 5th round pick and now all of a sudden you could do the victory. Oh, you get carried around on the shoulders of the city like San Francisco for Purdy, if he gets it right, of course, so, so yes. No, they don’t want him to take no L. I believe it’s, it’s just the simple fact that people get antsy because they wanna see him play. And when you get antsy and when you be in your feelings, you tend to get in your feelings a little bit, right? And you start, you go, you’re like, I don’t wanna hear no nothing no I gotta say I feel like they, they, they railroading him, right? But always be patient. Time will come. As Jason says, he will get an opportunity to play and a lot, right? This preseason, yeah, he will get a and guess what? We’re gonna find out. That’s the best part about it. We’re gonna find you can’t hide, Jay. nobody can. You could have success in the preseason that does not translate to the regular season we’ve seen it a million times but here’s what you can’t do. Bomb in the preseason and have success in the regular season. That rarely if ever happens. You, so, so cart before horse. And all of what you guys said, I, I agree with everything. If there’s one piece that I feel you’ve left out. I’ll hit on that in a second. But this notion that, oh, the Browns, that’s it. They, they’re railroading them. My God, put your social media thumbs away. And go get a life. You are thinking, you are out thinking this. You’re trying to find conspiracy theories where there are none. Why in the world would the Browns take this kid to ruin his career? I, I, I just, I wouldn’t really like to sit down with someone who really believes that and say, OK, sell me that bill of goods. Sell me how it benefits the Browns to trade up and take a kid for the sole purpose of wrecking his career. — And
— for all the people that don’t want him here, where would you like him to go? Where else is he gonna have this opportunity? This is the, this is the place for him. Where, what other job is open? Exactly. And now the other thing too is. This now this argument can be made down the road. If he flames out, you could then say, well, look what he had around him. He had no talent around him. How was he supposed to fair, fair point. Great quarterbacks elevate the players around. They absolutely do. And, and gee, I agree with much of what you said, except for there’s one problem that I think a lot of folks are overlooking about the, the noise part. Well, if, if the other guys aren’t playing well, there’s gonna be a lot of noise and he’s gonna get his chance. The problem here with a lot of this mindset is that he was the 5th round pick. And there happens to be a guy on the roster who they valued much more, who was a 3rd round pick. OK. So, — so
— go ahead. From the standpoint of doing victory laps if he hits, absolutely. However, if that happens, you’re now answering the question, Well, why did you take Dilan Gabriel was to pick in the 3rd round? So don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back if this kid hits because you wasted if it plays out where Dylan can’t play and should do or can’t. It won’t matter. People will be so euphoric. I know they will, but in the grand scheme of things, the 3rd round pick is still going to go down as another one we gave away so we give away a lot of 3rd round picks. For months she said this for months and I agreed with him. Take 2, take 2. And if you take 21 of them’s not gonna work. So if you take 2 and 1 works, — that’s good only
— thing the order doesn’t matter. I agree with that. Now it’s if it’s job application and you got 2 guys in or you got 7 guys in, you’re gonna get the best 7. So what happens if say wins a job andylan Gabriel becomes a backup? Great. Is that a problem? No, no. Well, well, there you go. So don’t you. Here’s why it’s not a problem. As long as we get a quarterback, I think what’s already developing here, and this is bad, guys. I’m just gonna say it, this is bad. I’ve talked before about our divisive fan base. Oh no, no, no, there’s no way it’s already, it’s baked in. Oh, — it’s
— baked in and you know what I’m finding that it is, it is a problem. It will continue be a problem. What do you mean? So Jay. I, I’ve been asked a million times, who do you want to be this, so we’re gonna talk about this, who should be, who will be, who do you want to be? The answer to who you want to be is a very simple one. The best guy. Who, who’s gonna give us the best chance to win? That’s who I want as our quarterback. And if that person is 4’2, 300 pounds, but somehow when they put him out there, despite the fact that he shouldn’t be able to move the team, he moves the team. That’s my favorite quarterback. I’m definitely doing a story on him. That’s my guy. — There’s a
— 300 pounds he’s gonna be front page of The New York Times. Can you imagine that? This is, this is why I have always said. Single platform. People like G Bush, you, you go crazy for sure. I say, listen, if you listen, I got hours of film. I said, listen, man, the first thing you gotta understand about me is I’m just married to what happens. If I go, listen, I thought Deshaun Watson was going to be good, right? And then I went and looked at the film and said, oh you missed that guy, this guy, this guy, this guy and this guy. No, bro, you’re not balling today. So if, if Dillon Gabriel, I went to camp and say, I told Jason, I said, man. He got a little better arm than I thought he did. When, when before uh uh Kenny Pickett, right? If Kenny Pickett balls out, he hurt his hamstring, I said Kenny Pickett had a nice day today. I thought he was rolling out using his legs more and all. Now listen, I’m just married to what happens on the field. Now here’s the point I think a lot of people must get Mr. Shrew. When people are reporting this, a lot of people have got to the point where And this doesn’t have anything to do with specifically you or you or anybody, but there’s this level of people will say, well, they’re, they’re they’re diminishing what happens on the field and they’re saying, uh, well, you know, this guy looked good, this guy looked good and sure he was fine, whatever he was over on the other field. What you’re saying is the, is the backlash from that. If people just said this, right, and there’s a lot of people that are unwilling to say this. Hey, look man, I was, listen, you know what? I wasn’t that high on Shadoor. I thought it was more hype, um, but I’ll give him credit, you know, after, you know, the ticket thing, he’s been really great in the media. He’s been saying all the right things. I think he’s picking the offense up, you know, right now I don’t know if he’s gonna start, but I’m willing to see more of them and, and look, he’s getting some first team reps and we’ll evaluate as we go like, hey, the Browns need the quarterback, so we’ll see what he. Can do. I wasn’t really hiring them coming out of college, but hey, listen, it’s a competition. If people said that nobody would have a problem with it. Well, that’s what everybody should say though, gee, and not just your quarterback. Let’s talk about center. Yeah, — that’s
— OK. And, and let’s see, here’s the problem we start assigning names. And attributes to these guys and the whole thing gets muddied. Give me the best player at all 22 positions. But, but that’s not what’s being asked. Everyone, everyone wants to ask you who had the better day? Who was better, Dylan ordoor that ridiculous. But so now I got to put a name on it. And if if I don’t. the right name. I just pissed off whoever’s camp, you know what I mean? That’s how so gee, I hear what you’re saying, and I’ve kind of said that. I was talking to somebody with the Browns. They’re like, where are you on this? I’m like, I’m neutral. I wanna see him play. I wanna see who plays. That’s your job, by the way, not our job. When people ask me, I listen, listen, we cover the team. We don’t guide the team. The those that guide the team make a lot more money because that skill set is much harder to come by. It’s supply and demand. You guys have the football knowledge. You see every snap. You’re in every meeting. — You get the right guy and
— this — and
— that’s my guy. But that goes back to what Mike said. Mike had a topic last week, the week before of like, what are you looking for in camp? Like, listen. If I knew what I was doing, I wouldn’t be a sports writer. I’ll call you a GM. So my job is to talk to people in the NFL, talk to people in the organization, and relay to you what I’m hearing. So that’s, so like what I’m not gonna sit down and break, well, look, I don’t know if he’s supposed to throw it to the seam right now. I don’t know. I don’t know where he’s supposed to go. I’m not gonna, so I’m not gonna say Jim knew what he was saying when he said the media thinks they know, but. They don’t. But, but I try not to do, so I tell you, like, yeah, I thought he threw it fine. I thought he had a good day. He was fine. He got him in and out of the places. It seemed like he knew what he was doing, had command of the huddle. That’s what I’m looking at. And obviously don’t throw interceptions. I can we agree on that? When you throw picks, that’s bad. No matter what the play was supposed to be. It wasn’t supposed to be going the other way, right? — And we know
— that more than anything, Jay, you know, at heart I’m just a Old, you know, Mac football washed up guy who, who likes to watch the game. Sure, that’s it. So for me, and, and, and, and I always tell people you can’t get mad at like I can’t get I can get I can’t get mad at Anthony because he likes a certain anime more than than my favorite anime. — Like that’s just on his
— favorite food or a favorite movie or whatever. That’s his thing. So if, if people are writers and journalists like Jason said, they’re doing other things. For me, I wanna go watch. I wanna see what he’s doing. I wanna look at your mechanics. I wanna do all this. I just like being on the field, but the greatest thing about this is. You’re gonna get a chance to see. Always tell people, you, you listen, in life, I truly believe this, like, you know, not just saying I’m preaching. I believe that, that wherever you’re supposed to be, God will put you there and, and it might not be here or it might be there. And, and, and, and I’ve even come as I’ve grown to say I looked at, I look at it as a business. Hey, even if Shadoor don’t, if it don’t work out for him here. Maybe it ain’t for him to be, it could be somewhere else. Maybe it will be, and that happens with a lot of guys. It wasn’t for Baker. — It
— wasn’t
— right and he, and so I can’t get mad at Baker because what he learned here put him in a trajectory to do what he’s doing. Exactly, exactly. So and look how many guys, look at the look at last year Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold got another system and suddenly. Like a butterfly and not a worm. — How many
— systems was he in before that? Right, 4, 53 that I can think of a lot of with the Jets. He was with the Panthers. And was there a stop between the Panthers and the Vikings? Yeah, — I don’t remember what it
— was. And do we agree, do we agree about this? There’s one thing that is undeniable. I maybe the way I think about it. The way I think about franchise quarterbacks is When they do certain things, whether you’re a detractor or whether you’re a hater or you just don’t think, it’s undeniable. You know it when you see it. You, you can’t even hate it. Like if you, you can say I don’t like Lamar Jackson, but there’s 7 things at times a game you’re like, damn, — he
— did it again. Damn, bro like I always, I always bring this up because he was a bit of a dichotomy here. In that when Baker came into the Jets game and we all saw it, we’re like, that’s it. That’s it that’s it. That’s what I’ve been looking for me, bull, you, everybody, everybody. It was we got our guys got it right and then all of a sudden. Like this, we’re like, wait, that’s not it. It was the Jets game when the beer coolers opened everything else. I’ve told the we were done. Jim Brown. I, when they did the press conference, I was in the locker room and no one else was really in there yet, and Jim Brown came clickety clacking across the locker room with this cane, and it was just the sound of the cane and he came up to me and he goes, we got our guy, — Jim
— Brown. That was it. And I’ll say this, and I’m not saying it’s gonna happen in the preseason because I don’t think it will, but If Dylan or Shadour, our, our guys, they’re gonna get chances this year. And you know what? It’s not gonna be on the 1st throw or the 1st series or the 1st quarter, but it might well be in that first game. There’s gonna be enough there for either guy for us to say, oh, that ain’t it, or oh that could be it. — That that might be
— it. And Jay, just really quickly here, let me just give y’all how how the temperature is. Remember when Hugh Jackson said. That Baker Mayfield had earned the backup job. Yes, you remember how hot people was? Well, because he was the number one overall pick. I was like, what do you mean he earned the back like I was going crazy like this, like just like now that I was going back then because I’m like, bro, you got Tyrod Taylor, no disrespect to Tarod or Tyrod or wherever he is. We’re not trying to see that and guess what? Lo and behold, Tyrod Taylor goes down and Baker Mayfield comes on and we saw, and the 1st, 1st rope he threw was a back shoulder seam route to Jarvis Landry and I said I ain’t seen no throw like that in 5 to 7 years. Like we know it when we see it. I said, what is this?