Haslam confirmed as Cleveland Browns buyer

Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner will sell a controlling interest in the team to Tennessee businessman Jimmy Haslam, Browns President Mike Holmgren says. Holmgren, speaking Friday at the Browns practice facility in Berea, Ohio, confirmed Lerner has decided that Haslam -- president of the nation's largest operator of travel centers and truck stops -- is the "right person" to succeed him, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported. "He was very, very concerned with and interested in the right person stepping forward if he was going to sell the football team and apparently all the stars aligned in the last few months," he said. Fred Nance, a senior adviser to Lerner, told the newspaper "(Lerner) has an unequivocal commitment from Haslam to never move the Browns. He made that a prerequisite before entering into negotiations." "The Cleveland Browns aren't going anywhere," Holmgren added. "The Cleveland Browns are the Cleveland Browns and they're going to stay." The team is tied to a 30-year lease through 2029 with Cleveland Browns Stadium and Mayor Frank Jackson has stated the city would sue if there was any attempt to break the lease and move the team.