Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III is reassuming his role as CEO of Pilot Flying J, the family's lucrative truck-stop enterprise, but he says that won't eat away at his commitment to the franchise he purchased in 2012.
Haslam told Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer on Tuesday he still plans to be heavily involved with both free agency and the draft as the Browns attempt to improve on last season's 5-11 record.
Haslam hit the scene as an aggressive hands-on owner -- unlike anything Cleveland had known since the days of Art Modell -- but his decision to oversee both the truck-stop empire and the Browns suggests team CEO Joe Banner will have more power than initially expected.
Haslam and Banner talked up a committee approach to picking players -- along with VP of player personnel Mike Lombardi and new head coach Rob Chudzinski -- but Banner now holds considerable sway over the personnel side of the team.
It's clear Haslam has tremendous trust in Banner. What Banner does with that trust will be watched closely in Cleveland.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
