On Tuesday, Browns Hall of Famer Jim Brown spilled the beans regarding a meeting between owner Randy Lerner and former Packers and Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren.
Lerner wisely isn’t talking about the situation.
“I have no comment on any matter related to the search to strengthen the Browns’ management,” Lerner told the News-Herald by e-mail.
Given the perception that Holmgren is the top choice to assume a position of high influence and power within the organization, Lerner needs to be careful to do nothing that may convert that perception into a presumption, since the Rooney Rule now applies when hiring the person who will be in charge of football operations.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello has confirmed that, indeed, the requirement of interviewing at least one minority candidate applies in such instances, unless a pre-existing contract promises the position to a current member of the organization or the position is filled by the owner or a member of the owner’s immediate family.
In unrelated news, Holmgren has filed a petition with the Cuyahoga County Circuit Court to change his last name to “Lerner.”