Jimmy Haslam officially approved as Browns owner

In a completely unexpected move, the NFL's owners unanimously approved the sale of the Browns from Randy Lerner to Jimmy Haslam III. The truck stop tycoon has had a constant presence around the team since news of the sale surfaced this summer, but the clerical work still needed to be finalized for the sale to go through. That happened on Tuesday in unanimous fashion and according to the Cleveland beat reporters in attendance, the Tennessean walked into the room to raucous applause after the successful vote.

Haslam was previously praised by fellow owner Art Rooney, Bob Kraft, and Jerry Jones. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also commented on one of his news bosses (via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal):

"He's a guy who's committed to doing things right," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "He wants to make sure that the Cleveland Browns are represented the right way, that they're going to have a winning franchise and that they're a big part of the community. That's great news for the fans."

The changes under Haslam could come quickly, as it's already widely expected that Joe Banner will take over as a top executive, likely numbering Mike Holmgren's days with the Browns.