If anyone still wonders why Cleveland Browns need an inclusive workplace, ask Dan Snyder

The Cleveland Browns owners are the anti-Snyder’s

The Cleveland Browns have made a concerted effort to move into the 21st century in terms of inclusiveness within their organization, influenced heavily by Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam.

Dawg Pound Daily has been consistently reporting to its fans that Dee Haslam is taking increasing responsibility within the organization and that it is not just a perfunctory change. It’s real, and the effect is very positive, and the results are tangible, beginning with the hiring of a young Ivy League general manager in Andrew Berry, one of only two African American GMs in the NFL.

The Browns now sign their correspondence “Dee and Jimmy Haslam” not “Jimmy and Dee Haslam” though most of the sporting world seems still to have not noticed. If you google “owner Cleveland Browns” most of the articles that come back involve only JH3 and not Dee. But look at the illustration above, if you do not believe it.

Cleveland has also hired female coaches and female scouts for the first time in their history. This writer was particularly impressed that Kathleen Wood, a private investigator, was hired as a scout. Don’t we wish she had been around when the Browns were evaluating Johnny Manziel and Justin Gilbert?

A good private investigator would have an excellent chance of predicting whether there were substance abuse issues that would interfere with their ability to play professional football. If a private investigator can save the Browns from one blown first-round pick, it is well worth it.

The stories we are hearing out of Washington are incredible. But all too often, that is what happens when a major company operates from a non-inclusive position. A small group of people is given too much power and they become abusive.

This is just one person’s opinion, but you are not going to hear stories like that coming out of Berea, Ohio. First of all, the Browns don’t have cheerleaders, but if they did, it is hard to imagine that some front-office official might approach Dee Haslam (or Jimmy for that matter, but especially  Dee) and suggest that they use cheerleaders to flirt with luxury box owners.

It’s easy to imagine Dan Snyder thinking that might be a great idea, but could you sell that to Dee Haslam? You wouldn’t keep your job, and you would be lucky to keep your front teeth.

Truthfully, the smartest thing that JH3 has ever done was to wake up one morning and realize that he married a genius with eight Emmy nominations, and she needed to be making more of the decisions in Berea. Jimmy can read about Dan Snyder in the morning paper and be thankful that despite fan cynicism, Cleveland is far, far different than Washington, and the main reason is Dee.

If you were an agent, would you send a player to play for the Washington Lechers (yeah, my secret sources hint that Lechers may be the new nickname for the Washington franchise)? Maybe if the player was Antonio Brown and you wanted to punish him. But if you like the guy, you would never send him to Washington.

Mothers and fathers, if your daughter is a straight-A student in Sports Administration or Sports Law or other sports-related fields, would you send her to Washington to interview with Dan Snyder for a job? Heck no, you would not. You could not. You might send your son there if he is out early on parole, but not your daughter, not in 100 years.

This is going to drag down the caliber of the entire organization — except for the owner because he’s starting out at rock bottom and can’t be dragged down any further.

But you could send your sons and daughters, the very best and brightest, to work for the Cleveland Browns because they are building an inclusive workplace.  It will be a professional workplace, not a three-ring circus. That’s why it is important, and it was not always like that.

Today’s Browns are getting the best and smartest, like Andrew Berry, Callie Brownson, Kathleen Wood, and Kwesi Adofo Mensah.  From now on, the smartest and most capable people are coming to Berea, Ohio from around the NFL as well as the best colleges. Book it.

Dan Snyder may have the best parties, but he is never going to win a thing. He may be a genius at direct marketing and making money, and he may succeed in surrounding himself with young models but at the end of the day, he is still a twerp that no one wants to work for. He is going to get the best that the XFL has to offer and very little else. Book that too.