Why the Browns have lost longtime fans

It is no wonder why so many of us old timers have jumped off the Cleveland Browns fan wagon. Let me list a few nontechnical reasons why.

The new Browns do not carry the misery alone as we have heard the words, “Wait till next year” since the late 1960s.

In fact, we should all be able to say those words backward in Chinese by now, and we remain one of four current NFL teams to never play in a Super Bowl.

The Cleveland Browns should dig up the late Coach George Allen of the Washington Redskins, who used to tell reporters, “Don’t ask me about next year — The future is now.”

You would not find very many young or rookie players on his competitive teams either, as Coach Allen’s Redskins were nicknamed “The Over the Hill Gang.”

Retire the dog on the sidelines and get us attractive cheerleaders like other teams have. It’s ugly on the field, so give us something nice to look at.

We have an invisible owner in Jimmy Haslam. At least Art Modell was accessible to the media and often echoed the same feelings as the fans.

How can a family explain to their youngsters who look up to sports heroes the actions of some former and current Browns?

For example, former quarterback Johnny Manziel, with his frequent boozing and partying; or running back Isaiah Crowell, who posted a graphic depiction of a police officer being stabbed in the neck by a hooded man on his Instagram account.

If owner Haslam had a spine, he would have cut both from the team on the spot regardless of anything. Let me throw them both under the bus where they belong.

Let’s now fast forward to the fall of 2018 and let me be the first to say it: “Wait till next year.”

Bill Bolinger Mayfield Heights