Ravens president Dick Cass is stepping down after 18 years on the job, and the team will add a familiar name in AFC North circles to replace him. Former Browns executive VP Sashi Brown is coming aboard to replace Cass.
Cass, 76, took over as Ravens president shortly after owner Steve Bisciotti bought the team in 2004. For Brown, this is a return to the NFL after a few years away. Brown has been with the Washington Wizards since 2019 but officially vacated that position Friday. The Ravens will make their Cass-to-Brown transition April 1, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (on Twitter).
Brown is best known for being the point man in charge of a radical rebuild effort in Cleveland a few years ago. The Browns gutted their roster in 2016 and geared their rebuild around an analytics approach. This led to one of the worst stretches in NFL history, with the Browns going 1-31 from 2016-17. Jimmy Haslam fired Brown late in the 2017 season, hiring John Dorsey to replace him. Prior to Brown’s Cleveland stay, he spent nearly 10 years with the Jaguars, working on the business side.
Brown’s name resurfaced prior to this Ravens move. Hue Jackson accused Haslam of paying out bonuses to himself, Brown and others associated with tanking during that two-year span. Haslam denied the accusation. Brown will now have a chance to bounce back in the NFL, joining GM Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh as a top Ravens power broker.
So…a guy who worked for the NBA and could speak freely regarding his involvement in a tanking scandal that could be the biggest in NFL history was suddenly hired for a job with an NFL team that he is dubiously qualified for?
Fortuitous.
Ah, let the conspiracy theories begin. “Dubiously qualified for” when the guy spent 10 yrs on the business side of the Jags and another 2 on the football side with the Browns. Sounds like more of a stretch for him to have been involved with the Wizards. Not like they hired him as GM. He’s back on the business side. And I seriously doubt that something was orchestrated in the 48 hrs since Uncle Huey spouted more of his half-wit narcissistic dribble.
Admittedly, Brown did do a great job organizing that parade of toilet bowls after the 0-16 season.
Heck 0-16 is impressive in its own right. You don’t get there without the right pieces and everyone rowing in the same direction.
(Backwards. That direction is backwards.)
Let’s not forget to give credit to Hue Jackson in that wonderful 3-36-1 record he coached then to.
fortuitous?
If this hire doesn’t yield the desired results does Sashi move on to the NHL?
I’m surprised the Sabres didn’t hire him to replace the soccer coach