Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Charles Woodson has been named a limited partner for the ownership group of the Cleveland Browns, the team announced Tuesday.
The minority owner was approved at the National Football League Spring Meetings in Minnesota on Tuesday, the team said. This is the first time a minority owner has been added to the organization since the Haslams became controlling owners in 2012.
“Charles has left an incredible legacy on the field, forever engraving himself as one of the greatest collegiate and NFL players of all time, but the work he’s continued to do off the field and his entrepreneurial spirit emphasized what a great fit he is for our organization,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. “As he is an Ohio native, we’re so thrilled to have Charles on board as a limited partner of the Cleveland Browns because he knows how much football means to this community. 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.”
Woodson is an Ohio native who grew up in Fremont. In high school, he won the state of Ohio’s “Mr. Football” in 1994, and then went on to play at the University of Michigan, where he won the Heisman Trophy Award, the team said.
He was the fourth overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft and played 18 seasons in the NFL, the team said. Woodson is a nine-time Pro Bowler, three-time First-Team All-Pro, NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1998, NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and won Super Bowl XLV as part of the Green Bay Packers.
“Growing up in Fremont, Ohio, it was a dream come true to play in the National Football League. In my wildest childhood dreams, I never considered the opportunity to become a limited partner of an NFL team, let alone the Cleveland Browns in my home state of Ohio. It is among my greatest honors to join the Haslam and Johnson families and the entire Haslam Sports Group to become a limited partner of the Cleveland Browns, one of the NFL’s most storied franchises,” Woodson said. “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. I want to thank Dee and Jimmy Haslam for providing me this amazing opportunity and Derrick Heggans for presenting this rare opportunity to me and facilitating the process.”
