GOOD FOR THE HASLAMS

By STEVE KING

Jimmy and Dee Haslam come under a lot of scrutiny.

It’s part of the deal when you’re the owners of the Browns, a one-time tradition-rich football team based in a hotbed for the sport.

Much of that scrutiny, and the accompanying reputation, has been negative because of the team’s nightmarish eight seasons in their tenure. That’s part of the deal, too.

But to be fair – and we certainly, and above everything else, always want to be fair here – we need to give them credit when credit is due – when they do something right. And when they do something really right, that credit must be really right, too.

One of those times is now after the announcement on Monday that the Haslams, who also own the Columbus Crew soccer team, have donated $1.5 million toward the relief fund for the coronavirus pandemic in Ohio. That is one huge chunk of money, and it will go a long, long way toward the fight against this deadly and rapidly-spreading bug.

So, then, thank you, Jimmy and Dee Haslam. Thank you very, very much.

OK, I hear you retorting that the Haslams have a lot – a whole lot — of money, so them donating $1.5 million is no big deal really.

Yes, and no, actually.

Yes, they have tons of money, so they can afford it.

But no, they were not forced to do it. No one challenged them. They challenged themselves, and they were up to the challenge, to the great benefit of Ohioans.

There are a lot of wealthy people in Ohio, and even more in the country overall, obviously. Good for them. They earned it, they should enjoy it and they can spend it any way they choose.

Not all of them decide to give to worthy causes. That’s their business, and they shouldn’t be criticized for it.

But for the ones who do, such as Dee and Jimmy Haslam, who also donate to a number of other great causes other than the coronavirus fight, they deserve to be praised – a lot – when they give it a lot.

So, you critics of the Haslams who focus on one thing and one thing only and can’t be pushed off of it, lighten up a bit on them, OK?

More:

“Backup Plan: Browns Sign Veteran QB Keenum To Help Mayfield” (AP) – “Keenum officially signed his three-year, $18 million contract Tuesday with the Cleveland Browns, who are bringing him in to help mentor Baker Mayfield…”

“Kevin Stefanski: Case Keenum fits perfectly into mentality Browns trying to build” (CantonRep) – “The Browns are fully committed to Baker Mayfield as their starting quarterback, but the new regime doesn’t want to coddle him.”

“Austin Hooper lists plenty of reasons for signing with Browns, including Baker Mayfield” (BrownsZone) – “His positive impression of Mayfield contributed to him signing a four-year, $42 million deal with the Browns last week as a free agent.”

“Jack Conklin is important addition for Browns, even if he is ‘just a right tackle’” (cleveland.com) – “Conklin is a very important piece for the Browns and their offense, even if he doesn’t want to admit it when talking about the talent on the roster.”