Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam Pulls Sponsorship Deal With ESPN Worth Millions Over Critical Story

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Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is not happy with ESPN right now.

Last month ESPN writer Seth Wickersham produced a scathing piece that described how badly run the Browns front office is under Haslam’s ownership.

My look inside the dysfunction that has defined the Browns—from Hue telling Haslam to get “the f— out of my office,” to Haslam nicknaming Sashi Brown “Obama,” to porn accidentally projecting in the facility—and if it’ll redefine what Mayfield can transcend https://t.co/gjgfmpVPAy

— Seth Wickersham (@SethWickersham) January 24, 2019

This is a must-read story on the Browns dysfunction by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, highlighted by a hilarious “DP” mix up. https://t.co/7qbDXgIc9U pic.twitter.com/Xql4j6jU23

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) January 24, 2019

Haslam is apparenly so upset about the article that he is ending his sponsorship deal for his company Pilot Flying J that is worth millions.

Via Sports Business Daily

Pilot Flying J is pulling its extensive advertising and sponsorship agreement with ESPN two years into a four-year deal, sources say, after ESPN.com ran a critical story on the inner workings of the Browns. Jimmy Haslam, who owns the Browns with his wife, Dee, also is Pilot Flying J’s CEO. The brand’s multi-platform deal with ESPN included significant advertising around college football, an SEC corporate sponsorship that made it the conference’s official travel center, and agreements for ESPN talent Paul Finebaum and Laura Rutledge to endorse the brand. ESPN owns all of the SEC’s marketing and media rights, which is why it sold the league sponsorship. Pilot Flying J and ESPN are negotiating how to unwind the deals, which are believed to be worth low-to-mid seven figures annually.

Haslam’s temper tantrum over ESPN’s story is dumb and proves how inept he is at his job.