Rob

Chudzinski

“This is more worrisome than people know,” said one rival official. Per Freeman, NFL sources are concerned about the “long-term viability of the Browns under Haslam’s control” because of the rash of civil lawsuits he’s facing in addition to looming federal charges. Haslam has repeatedly stated his innocence while insisting the Browns will not be affected, but has dodged all questions. His mind is going to be anywhere but Cleveland this summer.

Per Banks, there’s “there’s no real sense the sky is falling in Cleveland,” or that Haslam’s legal troubles will “seriously imperil” his ownership. That’s true, but it’s also true the FBI has yet to press charges. It’s been barely one month since their surprise raid of Haslam’s company. What we know for sure is that the investigation shouldn’t affect the Browns this season. All bets are off beyond that.

The Freeh Group is headed by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, and led the Penn State-sanctioned investigation into the Jerry Sandusky scandal. The civil lawsuits are mounting against Haslam’s company — which is accused of defrauding hundreds of customers — but he’s yet to be charged in the FBI’s investigation. It’s a matter of when, not if, that will happen.

Haslam has been trying to make right with some of the companies Pilot Flying J is accused of ripping off, but legal scholars believe it could come off as interfering with witnesses to the FBI. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, many defense lawyers were “stunned” Haslam was reaching out to the aggrieved parties. “I don’t think it’s a prudent move,” said former federal prosecutor Geoffrey Mearns. “Irrespective of his motives, it can be misinterpreted as inappropriate and perhaps unlawful.” The paper did find experts who believed Haslam wasn’t doing anything wrong. The only thing we know for sure is that Haslam isn’t “focusing on the draft,” after all.

Documents filed by the FBI in court Thursday claim Haslam was aware of the fraud scheme, “committed by top sales officials” at his family business. They also allege Haslam was present for discussions about the fraudulent activities. According to the FBI and IRS, Pilot Flying J targeted companies that were “too unsophisticated to catch that their agreed-upon deal with Pilot was being changed to benefit Pilot without the knowledge of those customers.” The NFL has long bragged about its thorough process for vetting prospective owners, but either missed something or didn’t do its due diligence with Haslam, who is estimated to be worth $1.8 billion by Forbes. Haslam’s brother Bill Haslam is the sitting governor of Tennessee. The league has declined comment.

The suit alleges Pilot Flying J — which is the subject of an intense federal probe — has “benefited from inaccurate rebate procedures for certain clients,” and “derived funds from a pattern of racketeering activity.” The accusations are in line with the FBI’s allegations, and paint an increasingly troubling picture for the Browns’ neophyte owner. Despite Haslam’s declarations of innocence, the NFL has a major problem on its hands.

Oftentimes just the appearance of a scandal is enough to rile the league office, but it will treat Haslam as innocent until proven guilty, as it should. Haslam will make a statement at 4ET Friday, but will not take questions from the media. It’s going to be a long summer in Cleveland.

The investigation is a huge black eye on the league, which is just six months removed from unanimously approving Haslam as its 32nd owner. The approval supposedly followed a close examination of Haslam’s background. Perhaps the league was compelled to ignore some of its questions by Haslam’s estimated $1.8 billion net worth. Haslam’s future as an owner is clear as mud.

Haslam has maintained his innocence, and painted the episode as more of a misunderstanding than federal crime. If the NFL finds the feds’ story more believable, Haslam could be asked to step aside until the case’s conclusion. Haslam will be hard pressed to keep his team if he’s found guilty on federal charges.

It doesn’t appear the league will be asking Haslam to “step aside,” as some speculated earlier Friday. The FBI clearly thinks it has a serious case against the trucking company mogul, but things are likely to develop slowly following Thursday’s allegations. Haslam has yet to be charged with a crime. Regardless of Haslam’s innocence or guilt, the case will remain a major distraction for a league that loathes them until its resolution.