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Angry Browns fans to meet with team owner

By TOM WITHERS,

AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) Two longtime Cleveland Browns season ticket-holders organizing a protest to show their disgust with a decade of losing will meet with team owner Randy Lerner.

Mike Randall and Tony Schafer, who have been urging other Cleveland fans to stay away from their seats for the opening kickoff of the Browns' nationally televised game against Baltimore on Nov. 16, have a meeting scheduled with Lerner on Tuesday morning at the team's headquarters.

Randall, who's also known as "Dawg Pound Mike," plans to present Lerner with over 2,000 e-mails he has received from fans since announcing the "walk-in" protest. Randall said he hopes to persuade the ultra-private Lerner to speak directly to Cleveland's disappointed fan base.

The Browns dropped to 1-7 on Sunday with a 30-6 loss in Chicago.

Randall said he and Schafer spoke briefly with Lerner before Sunday's game. In planning their demonstration for before the Monday night game against the Ravens, the fans had hoped to force Lerner and Cleveland's front office to address growing concerns about the club's direction as well as a lack of connection to the Browns' storied past.

"They are listening," Randall said. "We know that Randy cares and we don't want him to sell the team. Our goal is to get him to talk to the fans so we know what's going on. We're going to talk to him about a lot of things from stadium operations to the atmosphere on game days to our frustration that the fans are not being heard."

Randall said he and Schafer would spend Monday night putting together a formal presentation for Lerner, who took over ownership of the Browns after his father, Al, died in 2002. Lerner has been criticized by some Cleveland fans for not being more outspoken and available.

Lerner's ownership of English soccer club Aston Villa has been viewed by some that he doesn't care about the Browns, who are on their fourth coach since 1999.

Following Sunday's game, Lerner told reporters he has no plans to fire first-year Browns coach Eric Mangini and that he would like to hire a "strong, credible, serious leader" to help run his team.

Lerner did not expand on who that person might be or if that person currently worked for the Browns. He recently brought in former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar in an unspecified consulting role.

Updated November 2, 2009

? © 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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