Prospective Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam III on Thursday indicated that he will “wait until after the season to consider staff changes,” according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. Browns VP/Media Relations Neal Gulkis said personnel changes are "not something we'll discuss until after the year." Haslam said, "We're coming into this in the middle of the season. It's an awkward time. We're going to study and evaluate." Cabot notes Haslam on Oct. 16 will travel to Chicago for the NFL owners' annual fall meeting, "where he's expected to be approved as the owner of the Browns by his new colleagues.” His approval “requires a two-thirds vote of the owners, but it's likely to be unanimous” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 10/5). Haslam appeared on Fox Business Thursday and said, "We don't officially own the team yet, and we’ve said all along that we're not going to make any comments on personnel until after we own the team. ... Any personnel decision we make will be made toward the end of the year.” Meanwhile, he was asked whether he would put a dome on Cleveland Browns Stadium. Haslam said, “We've said that we're going to bring stadium architects in. This stadium is now 15 years old, it needs some work. We’re going to look at any and all options to make the stadium more friendly to the fans.” When Fox Business' Liz Claman said 15 years is not “that old," Haslam replied, “If you think where this stadium sits and the weather it’s exposed to -- it’s an outdoor stadium, the wear and tear these stadiums take -- you’ve got to stay up to speed and you’ve got to stay modern. There's been a lot of stadiums built since then. We need to spend some money on this stadium, and we’ll do so in the next two or three years” (“Markets Now,” Fox Business, 10/4).
