Report: Cleveland Browns alumni alienated, disrespected

Dec 20, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam watches pre game warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Cleveland Browns alumni are reportedly discouraged that the team only has eyes for former running back Jim Brown.

The Cleveland Browns leveraged the occasion of Jim Brown’s 80th birthday to announce that the team will place a statue of the Hall of Famer outside of FirstEnergy Stadium.

The popular move to honor one of the franchise’s and NFL’s greatest players may have ignited an unintended public relations storm for the team, according to a report by Tony Grossi at ESPN Cleveland.

Grossi spoke with several of the team’s alumni, who want to remind everyone that as great as Brown was, the team existed before and after he played in Cleveland.

“The fans value the past, and the past is more than Jim Brown,” said linebacker Dick “Bam-Bam” Ambrose, who played for the Browns from 1975 to 1983. “That’s our bottom line.

“We were not happy with the way things evolved when this ownership took over. When (Mike) Holmgren was there, the relationship was pretty good because he used the Green Bay Packers model [of embracing team alumni]. This group has been a little more bottom-line.”

“The fans value the past, and the past is more than Jim Brown.” – Former linebacker Dick Ambrose

According to the report, the alumni have increasingly felt alienated as current owner Jimmy Haslam is focused more on improving the team’s bottom line than embracing its alumni – outside of Brown. A particular bone of contention is that the owners of Swagger, the team’s unofficial mascot, receive around $800 per appearance while the team asks its former star players to make appearances without compensation.

Ambrose is not the only former player reportedly disappointed with the current state of alumni affairs. According to the report, former wide receiver Dave Logan – a key member of the 1980 Kardiac Kids team – voiced his displeasure during a team reunion last year.

“It was fairly unanimous in terms of how they felt about the relationship that, in this case, they do not have with the team, which really saddens me,” Logan said. “There was a feeling of disconnect. These are teammates of mine that played for a long time and gave everything they had for this organization and this city. If in fact what they feel is true, I think it’s sad and it’s shameful.

“There was a lot of passion there. I don’t think these guys are looking for anything extraordinary. I think they’re looking to be respected and included and acknowledged and sort of reached-out, like other first-rate clubs do.”

The report did not have anyone from the Browns giving their side of the story, but it sounds as if the team is starting to see the light. The organization created a Browns Alumni Advisory Board last fall – after Ambrose aired his grievances in a letter to Haslam – to improve the relations between the club and its former players.

“I think the front office acknowledges that alumni relations is important,” Ambrose told ESPN. “I think the letter to Haslam triggered that. The team has taken a bit of a PR hit on that and I think it is willing to work more with alumni now and make some positive changes.”

More from Dawg Pound Daily

Why a true Browns fan would rather spend time with a dog than an actual former Brown is a question that we simply don’t have an answer for. And while we understand the team’s desire to keep Brown attached to the organization, the alumni have a valid point.

Brown last played a game for Cleveland in January of 1966, meaning that there are currently far more Browns fans who never saw him play than those who did. Every generation of fans has its own memories and favorites, and for team officials to ignore that is a big mistake.

The Browns are not winners on the field and are currently going through yet another biennial rebuild of the team. The one currency they still have is a fanbase that loves everything orange and brown.

While that might not be the type of currency that is most attractive to the marketing department, it is one that Haslam and the team should realize is not easy to replace.

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