Coach Kevin Stefanski thanked the person who made the Browns playoff run possible with the game ball. The Browns coach delivered the ball from Sunday’s win over Pittsburgh to Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam.
Stefanski made a point of recognizing the ownership in his postgame press conference.
“Want to make note that I gave a game ball out to Jimmy Haslam in there. Dee (Haslam) and Jimmy and the entire (Haslam and Johnson) family just have been so supportive of this group, and anything we needed in such a unique season, they have been right there,” Stefanski said. “Really organizationally, just thinking about all of the people who have wanted this and wanted to taste this, I am really proud to be a part of this for them – people who have been with the organization for a long time, and they deserve this so I am happy for them.”
It’s the first postseason berth for the Browns since the Haslam’s bought the team in 2012. The owners have been less visible to the public in the team’s surge upward from the winless 2017, though they are still prominent in and around the team headquarters in Berea.
