Report: Family That Owns NFL Team Accused Of Bribing Executives
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 22: A general view from the upper deck of FirstEnergy Stadium prior to the National Football League game between the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns on September 22, 2019, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A family that owns an NFL franchise is facing accusations of attempting to bribe a company.
Berkshire Hathway, the company owned by billionaire Warren Buffett, is accusing the Haslam family, which owns the Cleveland Browns, of attempting to bribe a company's executives.
The Haslam family is accused of attempting to bribe the executives of the Pilot truck stop chain. The report claims that the Haslam family attempted to bribe executives at the company with millions of dollars to inflate profits.
"Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway says the billionaire Haslam family tried to bribe at least 15 executives at the Pilot truck stop chain with millions of dollars to get them to inflate the company’s profits this year because that would force Berkshire to pay more for the Haslams’ remaining 20% stake in the company," the Associated Press reports.
"The Berkshire claim in a counter lawsuit filed this week comes after the Haslam family — which includes Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam — accused Berkshire of trying to understate Pilot’s earnings this year by changing its accounting practices."
A hearing on the subject is reportedly set for Thursday.
According to the Associated Press, the Haslam family did not respond to requests for comment.
The family has owned the Browns since 2012.
