The tradition of fans rolling their eyes at the Cleveland Browns' annual report card will be no more as the NFL has officially won its grievance against the NFLPA.
The league is claiming that the report cards violate the Collective Bargaining Agreement, marking a significant shift in how much information is made available to the public regarding in-house working conditions.
The Browns are notorious for consistently ranking near the bottom of these reports, with only three of the 11 categories being ranked above a "C" grade in 2025. But the public transparency of poor ownership, subpar facilities, and player treatment will now become a private matter, potentially without meaningful accountability, highlighting the stark contrast between owner and fan interest.
While the league and ownership have argued this change revolves around policy and process, it's evident that this is a strategic move to avoid scrutiny, which greatly benefits the Haslams. Past evaluations have been brutally honest and overwhelmingly critical, but it is this exact pushback that places the foundational building blocks of change and improvement.
How are we as fans supposed to gauge if these blocks are being placed if the construction isn't visible?
NFL grievance win quietly benefits Cleveland Browns ownership
2026 being the first year without reports puts us all in uncharted territory with no real precedent.
How will we ensure that concerns centered around player safety and treatment are accounted for? What does this change mean for potential Browns incoming free agents? Will behind the scenes conversations change without actionable and visible data? Will these conversations be dominated by leaks and individual accounts? Only time will tell.
From a more optimistic lens, this ruling gives the Browns organization an opportunity to make amends without public scrutiny. Ownership has a golden ticket to reshape and mold our current lackluster and at times unserious reputation to a more respectable brand of football without ties to a letter grade.
With vast structural improvement, we could see a reinvented and lively product for years to come. Or we could once again fall victim to false hope and continue to see underwhelming and poor management that hides behind a scribbled-out report card.