KNOXVILLE – Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam addressed the media about the search warrants executed at Pilot Flying J the past two days.
Haslam said the situation does not involve any kind of tax issues. He said he is unsure why the IRS is involved.
The investigation of Pilot by the FBI and IRS apparently revolves around the “application of rebates to a small group of Pilot Flying J trucking company customers,” a Pilot Flying J spokeswoman said this afternoon.
NewsChannel5’s Joe Pagonakis was in Knoxville for the news conference and asked about how this reflected on Cleveland and the Browns.
Haslam apologized and said he didn’t want any blemish on Cleveland. He said the focus right now is on field and on the draft for the Browns. “It’s business as usual.”
He will be in Cleveland on Thursday and Friday in preparation for the NFL draft, when the Browns will take the sixth overall pick on April 25.
