Browns Deny Involvement In Effort To Bring Gruden To Tennessee

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora this morning is reporting the Browns are “denying a TV report” that ESPN's Jon Gruden would receive an ownership stake in the team if he became the Univ. of Tennessee’s football coach. The team said that Owner Jimmy Haslam III, a native of Knoxville and a UT booster, is “not involved” in the school’s coaching search (TWITTER.com, 11/28).

Gruden "has a contract offer in hand" from UT, and a "decision could be made" as early as today. Memphis-based WREG-CBS reported that part of the offer involves Gruden "getting a piece" of the Browns. WREG reported a "potential hangup could be over money Gruden may be owed" by the Buccaneers, and the NFL is "looking into the conflict of owning part of one team while getting money from another" (WREG.com, 11/27).