Hours after firing Sashi Brown, the Cleveland Browns have hired his replacement.
John Dorsey, who was fired as General Manager of the Chiefs this year, has been hired for the G.M. job in Cleveland.
The hiring will raise immediate questions about whether the Browns complied with the Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate for all head-coaching and G.M. jobs. The Browns had clearly decided on Dorsey, who is white, before they even fired Brown.
“We are thrilled to have John Dorsey lead our football operations,” said Dee and Jimmy Haslam in a statement. “John has been immersed in the NFL for 26 years, won two Super Bowls, built sustainable winning football teams and is highly respected for his football acumen. We know we have a critical and very positive opportunity ahead of us to profoundly impact the foundation of this football team. Bringing in someone of John Dorsey’s caliber, his track record of success and his experience, significantly strengthens our opportunities to build a winning football team and that has been, and continues to be, what we want for our fans.”
Dorsey will have a wealth of draft picks and cap space to work with as he attempts to dig the Browns out of the deep hole the franchise is in.