Cleveland, OH

Browns firing of Kevin Stefanski: Determining factors in decision

Published

4 days ago

January 8, 2026

Browns firing of Kevin Stefanski: Determining factors in decision

The Cleveland Browns have been in business since 1946. For the first 49 years, the organization had 10 head coaches. The franchise was put on hiatus for several years and then resumed in 1999. For the next 26 seasons, the Browns hired and fired 12 head coaches.

STEFANSKI HAS TEAMS LINED UP

The most recent was Kevin Stefanski, who was a Black Monday victim. What happened?

How did Cleveland owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam come to this conclusion? After all, he was named NFL Coach of the Year not once, but won this prestigious award twice in 2020 and also in 2023. He orchestrated the first playoff appearance by the Browns in 17 years, then won their first playoff game against the hated division foe, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With all of these accolades, why would the front office decide to give him walking papers after being with the team for six years? This organization is famous for hiring coaches and then letting them go after one or two years at the helm. And yet, here is a guy who gave the team much-needed stability.

The demise of Stefanski began last year.

In 2023, the Browns went 11-6-0 and captured the highest Wild Card seed, then got slammed by the Houston Texans in the first round of the postseason. Just three weeks prior, Cleveland dominated the Texans, taking home an easy 36-22 win in a contest that wasn’t that close. So, the playoff loss was not expected.

CLEVELAND, OH – CIRCA 1980’s: Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer of the Cleveland Browns talks with his quarterback Bernie Kosar #19 on the sidelines during a mid circa 1980’s NFL football game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Schottenheimer was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1984-88. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

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Having won 11 games and gone to the playoffs, Browns fans and the media were expecting this to continue and string along several years’ worth of postseason berths, you know, like the Marty Schottenheimer years.

Instead, the Browns went 3-14-0. In the season opener, they got taken to the woodshed by the Dallas Cowboys 33-17, who then finished their season 7-10-0 so it wasn’t like the beating came from a great team. At first, Cleveland lost four games by a touchdown or less. But as the season rolled along, they were getting beaten pretty regularly by scores like 34-13, 20-3, 35-14, 35-10, and 24-6.

The two bright spots were the 29-24 come-from-behind win over the Baltimore Ravens, plus the 24-19 win over the Steelers, both games at home. Each of these two teams was not only in the division but also ended up going to the playoffs.

Following a 14-loss season, that alone might cause an owner to send his head man packing. But the Haslams were patient. They said in the 2025 training camp, the roster looked like a winner. The Haslams had a press conference on July 31 after a practice. They haven’t gathered for the press since the April NFL draft, so there was a lot to cover.

Here are a few excerpts from that presser in regards to Stefanski:

Q: In terms of wins, what would be a successful season?

Jimmy: You really think we’re going to answer that? We’ve got to do better than three, okay? To put a number on it, I don’t think we will ever do that. Everybody – coaches, players, personnel, ownership, all know that 3-14 won’t cut it. We’ve got to do better. I think we’ll know what better looks like.

Q: People always talk about patience as an organizational value. What does that look like? What does patience look like?

Jimmy: Well, I think it’s, it’s what we’ve just talked about. We realized that we went 3-14. There was great uncertainty at quarterback. You probably weren’t going to go 14-3. So, let’s try to build the team the right way. And I’m repeating myself, and it’s premature, but I like the guys we picked. And time will tell how good they are. But Mason (Graham), Carson (Schwesinger), (Harold) Fannin Jr., Shedeur (Sanders), Dillon (Gabriel), etc. look like, Dylan Sampson, look like not only really good players, but really good people. And I’ll say this for the two quarterbacks coming in, and I know everybody has a vision of Shedeur (Sanders), but he’s come in, in the building, worked hard, kept his head down, and done what he’s supposed to do, as has Dillon (Gabriel), which was no surprise for either of them.

Q: How do you convince fans that to get your message across to them, this is a building process because you know how loyal they are and how frustrated they are?

Jimmy: Well, listen, we’re frustrated too. And we share the fans’ pain, okay? And we – Dee, says this all the time. We’re stewards of this franchise, and we need to do a better job. And we want to win for a lot of different reasons. The main reason we want to win is for our fans. They really do. We have great fans.

BEREA, OHIO – JUNE 12: Head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam of the Cleveland Browns at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 12, 2025 in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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Q: With that type of philosophy, sort of a little bit of a patient attitude for this season. What does that mean for Kevin Stefanski? Because people are already asking if he’s on the hot seat.

Jimmy: Yeah, listen, you all, we talk to you all fairly frequently, and we’re very supportive of Kevin (Stefanski) and Andrew (Berry). Now, do they need to do better? Yeah, but so do Dee (Haslam) and I. You know what I mean? And these are high-pressure jobs they have, but we really like them in their roles as coach and GM, and we really like them as people. And I say this all the time. They’re 38 and 42 years old.

Q: How much has that patience approached, how much have you guys kind of talked about your history owning the team? Just how much have you kind of learned that?

Jimmy: I think we did a poor job early on, and hopefully we’re doing a better job now. And listen, we talk about it organizationally. This isn’t just ownership, but we talk about it — all Andrew’s (Berry) staff, all Kevin’s (Stefanski) staff, everybody is aware of the plan, and that’s how good teams work together.

Basically, the Haslams knew that the team would have to take its time in order to become an annual member of the postseason tournament. Dee or Jimmy never called it a “rebuild,” and from the roster standpoint, it did not appear that the roster needed to be purged. A few pieces here and there, and on paper, it looked like the team could compete. The recent NFL draft brought in some promising players in need positions.

And the Browns did – on defense.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with guard Joel Bitonio during practice on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 in Berea. Browns19 1

Special teams fell apart, and the offense never got into any type of rhythm, which was Stefanski’s wheelhouse. To be fair, the Week 1 offensive line was supposed to be the catalyst to propel the offense. It was the same lineup that just two seasons ago was ranked #3 in the league, except for LT Jed Wills, who was substituted by Dawand Jones, who was viewed as an upgrade.

However, just like every other year, one guy would go down, followed by another. In Week 18, it was seven-time LG Joel Bitonio, two backups, and two practice squad guys starting along the offensive line for the Browns. In the finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, C Luke Wypler was injured, and Zak Zinter filled in. That meant the backup to the backup was inserted. Cleveland used seven different line combinations during this season.

Everyone knows this group must have stability and continuity to be successful. Real chemistry. Even the trades for OTs Cam Robinson and KT Leveston were total busts, as both players were viewed as liabilities instead of redeemers.

The quarterback situation is a running joke on late-night TV and Browns podcasts. In the past three seasons, the Browns have started 14 different QBs:

2023: Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, Jeff Driskel
2024: Watson, Jameis Winston, DTR, Bailey Zappe
2025: Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders

The Browns set three NFL records with the QB situation. First, they tied the 1987 New England Patriots by starting the most QBs in a single season with five. The second, they set a record for the most starting quarterbacks in two years, with nine. In 2025, Cleveland used a staggering 22 different starting quarterbacks, setting a new NFL record.

Dec 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) before he enters the game against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The offense was basically the cause of another double-digit loss season. And because this unit was supposed to be why they hired Stefanski in the first place, after losing 26 games in two seasons and the regression, the Haslams basically had no choice but to make a change.

Stefanski showed up as the offense’s play-caller, which he then gave up. The quarterback situation was always in flux, the offense finished this year ranked #30 in the league with the third fewest offensive touchdowns (30), and #31 in scoring offense (16.4).

The year before, the Browns’ offense ranked #28 overall, dead last in offensive touchdowns scored (29), and dead last in scoring offense (15.2). The Haslams believed this year’s team was capable of winning more games.

What led the Browns to move on from Stefanski?

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Cleveland, OH

’27 TE D’Angelo White Commits to Louisville

Published

11 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

’27 TE D’Angelo White Commits to Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Another blue chip Class of 2027 prospect has picked the Louisville football program.

Cleveland (Oh.) Villa Angela-St. Joseph tight end D’Angelo White, a four-star prospect in the 2027 cycle, announced Sunday that he has given his verbal pledge to the Cardinals.

White chose Louisville over several blue blood programs. He held offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee and others, and had made multiple unofficial visits to OSU, UM and PSU.

There’s a reason why so many elite schools were after White. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect ranks as high as the No. 3 tight end and No. 159 overall prospect in the Class of 2027 in ESPN’s rankings, and comes in as the 288th-ranked recruit in the nation by the 247Sports Composite.

White was an impact player on both sides of the ball for Cleveland (Oh.) Villa Angelo-St. Joseph. Not only was he a difference maker from his tight end spot, he earned D-III Second-Team honors from OHSAA as a defensive lineman. Stats for White were not provided by MaxPreps.

White is the fourth Class of 2027 prospect to the commit to the Cardinals, joining Lizton (Ind.) Tri-West quarterback Jack Sorgi, Cincinnati (Oh.) wide receiver Chuck Alexander and Louisville (Ky.) Trinity cornerback Allen Evans. All four are top-300 prospects according to the 247Sports Composite., which has helped UofL sport the No. 17 overall class up to this point.

In the more immediate 2026 cycle, Louisville signed 19 prospect during the early signing period last night, with 15 of them being early enrollees. It’s a class that ranks 32nd in the nation, per 247Sports.

Cleveland, OH

Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

Published

24 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

CLEVELAND, Ohio — OHSAA girls basketball scores from Saturday in Ohio, as provided by The Associated Press.

Akr. Coventry 67, Streetsboro 22

Akr. Ellet 43, Can. South 34

Akr. Hoban 72, Gates Mills Gilmour 36

Apple Creek Waynedale 43, Ashland 42

Arcadia 54, Dola Hardin Northern 47

Ashtabula Edgewood 45, Geneva 40

Attica Seneca E. 43, Sycamore Mohawk 27

Aurora 63, Medina Highland 57

Avon 54, Amherst Steele 33

Avon Lake 73, N. Ridgeville 43

Bedford, Mich. 47, Tol. Rogers 33

Bellbrook 59, Monroe 26

Beloit W. Branch 54, Minerva 8

Berlin Center Western Reserve 70, Girard 53

Berlin Hiland 59, Gnadenhutten Indian Valley 17

Botkins 47, Elida 40

Bowerston Conotton Valley 42, Rittman 32

Bowling Green Christian Academy 33, Put-in-Bay 11

Carey 52, Bucyrus 14

Casstown Miami E. 63, Day. Northridge 41

Castalia Margaretta 57, Port Clinton 21

Centerburg 54, Danville 37

Chardon 48, Eastlake North 38

Chesapeake 56, Greenup Co., Ky. 18

Chesterland W. Geauga 40, Gates Mills Hawken 28

Cin. McNicholas 56, Cin. Anderson 44

Cin. Oak Hills 44, Liberty Twp. Lakota E. 40

Cin. Princeton 65, Hamilton 22

Cin. Summit 63, St Bernard-Elmwood Place 13

Cin. Sycamore 74, Middletown 11

Cols. Linden-McKinley 42, Day. Dunbar 24

Columbia Station Columbia 47, Wellington 20

Coshocton 51, Bridgeport 36

Creston Norwayne 42, New London 31

Crooksville 50, Byesville Meadowbrook 35

Cuyahoga Falls 49, Barberton 8

Cuyahoga Falls CVCA 43, Cle. Hts. Beaumont 34

Dalton 62, Dover 39

Dawson-Bryant 51, S. Webster 49

Day. Oakwood 61, Eaton 22

Day. Stivers 56, Cin. Taft 34

Delta 55, Bloomdale Elmwood 39

E. Can. 43, Hartville Lake Center Christian 42

E. Palestine 37, Campbell Memorial 24

Edon 46, Defiance Tinora 43

Elyria Open Door 52, Tol. Waite 24

Fairview 70, Beachwood 34

Findlay Liberty-Benton 43, Kalida 30

Galloway Westland 35, Day. Belmont 30

Garfield Hts. Trinity 59, Independence 19

Garrettsville Garfield 38, Middlefield Cardinal 35

Genoa Christian 44, Liberty Christian Academy 17

Gibsonburg 62, Sandusky St. Mary 19

Gorham Fayette 41, Antwerp 30

Hamilton Ross 43, Trenton Edgewood 38

Hillsboro 46, Washington C.H. Miami Trace 45

Huber Hts. Wayne 72, Clayton Northmont 22

Hudson 78, Solon 59

Jefferson Area 46, Ashtabula Lakeside 10

Kansas Lakota 51, New Riegel 29

Kent Roosevelt 46, Richfield Revere 44

Kenton 82, Lima Perry 14

Kettering Alter 49, Day. Carroll 42

Kingsway Christian 32, Senedot Stripes 18

Kingsway Christian 60, Coshocton Christian 23

Kirtland 52, Wickliffe 17

LaGrange Keystone 72, Sullivan Black River 15

Lakewood 51, Bay (OH) 40

Legacy Christian 56, Cedarville 49

Lima Shawnee 60, Lima Cent. Cath. 25

Lockland 53, Cin. Shroder 49

London 67, Plain City Jonathan Alder 12

London Madison-Plains 51, Milford Center Fairbanks 30

Loudonville 48, Cardington-Lincoln 36

Lucasville Valley 50, South Point 16

Macedonia Nordonia 47, Brecksville-Broadview Hts. 45

Madison 70, Conneaut 41

Mansfield Madison 39, Millersburg W. Holmes 33

Maria Stein Marion Local 44, Anna 20

Marion Harding High School 53, Caledonia River Valley 32

Martins Ferry 77, Weir, W.Va. 19

Mason 54, Cin. Colerain 32

Massillon Jackson 50, Can. McKinley 44

Massillon Perry 48, N. Can. Hoover 42

Mayfield 64, Willoughby S. 51

McConnelsville Morgan 46, New Concord John Glenn 22

Mentor 69, Brunswick 41

Miller City 56, Arlington 22

Milton-Union 61, Sidney Lehman 20

N. Robinson Col. Crawford 57, Bucyrus Wynford 33

New Paris National Trail 52, Hamilton New Miami 19

New Philadelphia 52, Linsly, W.Va. 34

Newcomerstown 51, Malvern 34

Newton Local 54, Franklin Middletown Christian 42

Norton 68, Ravenna 19

Ohio Deaf 48, Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, Va. 19

Old Fort 43, Bascom Hopewell-Loudon 30

Ontario 65, Galion 43

Orange 31, Painesville Harvey 27

Ottawa-Glandorf 71, Ft. Loramie 45

Oxford Talawanda 52, Franklin 32

Painesville Riverside 42, Chagrin Falls Kenston 41

Pandora-Gilboa 51, Ft. Jennings 27

Parma Hts. Holy Name 52, Chardon NDCL 49

Parma Padua 49, Elyria Cath. 32

Pataskala Licking Hts. 40, Pataskala Watkins Memorial 28

Paulding 64, Bluffton 42

Philo 56, Warsaw River View 24

Piqua 51, Xenia 18

Powell Olentangy Liberty 37, Cols. Bishop Watterson 28

Proctorville Fairland 50, Cabell Midland, W.Va. 26

Proctorville Fairland 82, Vincent Warren 39

Rocky River 65, Parma Normandy 51

Rootstown 40, Mantua Crestwood 21

STVM 59, Youngs. Ursuline 33

Salem 47, Alliance 18

Shadyside 47, New Matamoras Frontier 42

Shaker Hts. Laurel 60, Doylestown Chippewa 39

Sheffield Brookside 47, Lorain Clearview 28

Shelby 65, Sparta Highland 40

St. Henry (OH) 49, Spencerville 31

Steubenville Cath. Cent. 68, Zanesville Rosecrans 32

Strongsville 67, Shaker Hts. 39

Sunbury Big Walnut 59, Lewis Center Olentangy 56

Sylvania Southview 46, Lima 44

Tallmadge 38, Copley 34

Thornville Sheridan 33, Dresden Tri-Valley 30

Tipp City Bethel 62, DeGraff Riverside 31

Tipp City Tippecanoe 62, Greenville 31

Tol. Christian 66, W. Unity Hilltop 40

Twinsburg 55, Stow-Munroe Falls 23

Uhrichsville Claymont 51, Sugarcreek Garaway 40

Upper Sandusky 28, New Washington Buckeye Cent. 23

Urbana 69, New Carlisle Tecumseh 25

Vermilion 50, Milan Edison 45

Versailles 55, Jackson Center 16

W. Jefferson 45, Spring. Cath. Cent. 26

Wadsworth 45, N. Royalton 33

Warren Howland 56, Cortland Lakeview 50

Waverly 57, Gallipolis Gallia 51

Waynesville 50, Brookville 30

Westerville N. 51, Columbus South 40

Westlake 63, N. Olmsted 34

Westtown, Pa. 85, Western Reserve Academy 44

Worthington Kilbourne 58, Thomas Worthington 31

Zanesville W. Muskingum 61, Zanesville Maysville 28

Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley 53, W. Lafayette Ridgewood 20

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Cleveland, OH

Protests against ICE planned across Ohio, US after shootings in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon – The Land

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Protests against ICE planned across Ohio, US after shootings in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon – The Land

Protesters confront federal agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

Protests against immigration enforcement are planned for cities and towns across the country on Saturday after one federal officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis and another shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon.

The demonstrations come as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security pushes forward in the Twin Cities with what it calls its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation. President Donald Trump’s administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defense against drivers who “weaponized” their vehicles to attack officers.

Indivisible, a social movement organization that formed to resist the Trump administration, said hundreds of protests were scheduled in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states. Many were dubbed “ICE Out for Good” using the acronym for the agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Indivisible and its local chapters organized protests in all 50 states last year.

Protests are planned for Saturday in Solon and Lyndhurst, according to the Indivisble website. Additional protests are scheduled for Akron, Medina and Alliance. Protests have already been held in Cleveland. Details on the upcoming protests are available on the Indivisble website.

In Minneapolis, a coalition of migrant rights groups called for a demonstration at Powderhorn Park, a large green space about half a mile from where 37-year-old Renee Good was shot in a residential neighborhood on Wednesday. They said the rally and march would celebrate Good’s life and call for an “end to deadly terror on our streets.”

Cleveland City Council President Blaine A. Griffin issued a statement condemning the shooting of Good.

“Donald Trump’s decision to arm thousands of unvetted, minimally trained recruits and unleash them on our cities made this kind of violence inevitable. The thuggery ICE regularly displays has no place in America. Anyone with a conscience should be outraged. Only those without a conscience would immediately—and dishonestly—blame the victim as the Trump administration has,” Griffin said in a message he emailed to media.

Protests held in the neighborhood so far have been peaceful, in contrast to the violence that hit Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Near the airport, some confrontations erupted on Thursday and Friday between smaller groups of protesters and agents guarding the federal building used as a base for the Twin Cities crackdown.

The Trump administration has been surging thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. More than 2,000 officers were taking part.

Some officers moved in after abruptly pulling out of Louisiana, where they were part of another operation that started last month and was expected to last until February.

The Land contributed to this article.

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