Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam apologized to fans Tuesday for putting them through the worst season in franchise history.
In a letter sent to season-ticket holders and distributed to members of the media, the Haslams fell on the proverbial sword after the Browns set a franchise record for losses in a season by finishing 1-15.
“With the close of the 2016 season, we wanted to thank you again for all of your support and apologize for such a disappointing year,” the owners wrote.
“Clearly, this season has been a painful part of our building process. You deserve the best, and you certainly deserve better than a 1-15 team. We are sorry that our results have not been better.”
After Sunday’s 27-24 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season finale, Jimmy Haslam accepted blame for the team’s struggles since he bought it in October 2012.
But the letter from the Haslams took the message a step further by including an apology.
In the letter, the Haslams also reiterated their support for coach Hue Jackson, head of football operations Sashi Brown and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta.
“While we obviously did not accomplish that this season, our confidence in our leadership’s character, attitude, approach and ability remains strong as we faced this year’s challenges,” the Haslams wrote.
With two first-round picks (Nos. 1 and 12 overall) in April’s draft and more salary-cap space than any other NFL team, the Browns have positioned themselves well for a crucial offseason.
The Haslams acknowledged the importance of capitalizing instead of wasting the precious opportunities like the franchise has so many times in the past.
“We understand the critical nature of this upcoming offseason as we continue to improve our roster,” they wrote. “Our personnel group has positioned us very well to add quality players through multiple high draft picks while maintaining salary cap flexibility and the ability to sign and retain our core nucleus of players.
“We remain committed and determined to rewarding you with the consistent winning team you deserve. We will continue to do all we can to reach that goal.”
No hall for Clay
Former Browns linebacker Clay Matthews is not among the 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017. Matthews had been named a semifinalist for the second time, but he did not advance to the next round. The finalists were announced Tuesday.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.