Charles Woodson takes Tom Brady route and becomes minority owner of an NFL franchise
Charles Woodson takes Tom Brady route and becomes minority owner of an NFL franchise
Charles Woodson and the Raiders go hand-in-hand. He had two stints with the Raiders to begin and end his career and has his winery and whiskey business based in the Bay Area. Both of those products have had licensing deals with the Raiders. But Woodson's image and likeness with regard to those products will now come to an end because Woodson has been approved to become a minority owner in the Cleveland Browns.
This may seem strange to some people, but it's actually no more strange than Tom Brady becoming minority owner of the Raiders.
Brady is a Norther California Bay Area native and Woodson is an Ohio native, having grown up in Fremont just 80 miles west of Cleveland.
"Growing up in Fremont, Ohio, it was a dream come true to play in the National Football League," Woodson said in a statement. "In my wildest childhood dreams, I never considered the opportunity to become a limited partner of an NFL team, let alone the Cleveland Browns . . . one of the NFL's most storied franchises. Over the last year, I've enjoyed getting to know the leadership team at the Browns and I'm excited about the opportunity to be a part of the bright future for this team and to help be a resource for the entire organization as well as the NFL."
So, the two Michigan alums who were on each side of the tuck rule debacle (the one who fumbled it and the one who forced it) now both own minority stakes in the teams close to where they grew up.
Woodson, like Brady, will have a small stake in the team. But Woodson's presence within the organization should also be considerable.
"We know he will be instrumental in helping shape the future of the club through his insight and leadership and we are looking forward to having him as part of our ownership group," Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said in a statement.
The Hall of Famer has now been associated with three storied NFL franchise -- the Raiders, Packers, and Browns. Along with his winning a National Championship, Heisman Trophy, NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Super Bowl, NFL Defensive player of the Year, starting his successful business, and being a NFL TV analyst, I'm thinking there's literally nothing this man can't do.
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