Cleveland Browns deny that Gruden might be offered a stake in the team as part of UT coaching deal

News Channel 3 Learns of Tennessee's New Twist To Lure Jon Gruden

Published on WREG.com -- Memphis News & Weather from WREG Television, News Channel 3 | shared via feedly

The following statement was sent to us by Neal Gulkis, Vice President of Media Relations for the Cleveland Browns:

"Jimmy Haslam has no involvement in the University of Tennessee head coaching search, and the report that Jon Gruden would potentially have an ownership stake in the Browns is completely erroneous."

Last night, WREG in Memphis ran with an internet rumor that the Haslams were working with Tennessee's coaching search team to craft a deal that would grant the coveted Jon Gruden a stake in the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise.

The idea was too good to be true.

As noted by Mark Wiedmer in Chattanooga, Gruden could end all of this silliness by issuing a statement either confirming or denying his interest in the Tennessee job. He hasn't yet, which allows internet rumors like the Browns deal to proliferate and get even sillier.