Charles Woodson Steps Away From Browns Possession Bid

[ad_1] by Mary Spiller February 7, 2026

The Corridor of Famer says NFL restrictions would have required him to take away his identify from wine and whiskey companies.

Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Charles Woodson has backed out of a beforehand introduced plan to buy a minority stake within the Cleveland Browns, citing conflicts between NFL possession guidelines and his rising wine and spirits enterprise.

Woodson, a former All-Professional defensive again, informed Entrance Workplace Sports activities that he in the end selected to not proceed with buying a 0.1% possession share within the franchise as a result of league insurance policies would have compelled him to separate his identify from his wine and whiskey manufacturers.

“I believed I used to be going to be a proud proprietor of the Browns nevertheless it wasn’t in a position to occur as a result of I wasn’t in a position to take my identify off of my product,” Woodson stated. “It’s what made the product. It’s how I began so I wasn’t in a position to try this.”

The deal gave the impression to be properly underway final spring, when the Browns introduced in Might that Woodson had obtained league approval as a minority investor and praised the angle he would carry to the possession group. Based mostly on the workforce’s estimated valuation on the time—between $4 billion and $6.4 billion—the stake would have been price roughly $4 million to $6 million.

Nonetheless, Entrance Workplace Sports activities reported that NFL laws prohibit workforce house owners from promoting alcohol, a rule that immediately conflicted with Woodson’s enterprise ventures, together with “Charles Woodson’s Intercept Wines” and “Woodson Whiskey.” Regardless of the restriction, Woodson’s wine has beforehand been served at Las Vegas Raiders video games, underscoring the bizarre pressure between league coverage and his model.

In the long run, Woodson selected to retain full management of his corporations moderately than finalize the Browns funding. The workforce confirmed the cut up in a short assertion to Entrance Workplace Sports activities, saying, “We respect the choice by Charles and need him properly.”

Though Woodson by no means performed for Cleveland throughout his NFL profession, he's an Ohio native and reportedly constructed a robust rapport with Browns proprietor Jimmy Haslam in 2024. With out an possession position to pursue, Woodson plans to proceed his post-playing profession as an NFL broadcaster whereas increasing his footprint within the spirits business.

Woodson stated he and his workforce are centered on refining the presentation of Intercept Wines, together with a refreshed bottle design.

“For the wine, one of many main adjustments that we’ve made is the packaging and look of our bottles,” he defined. “We needed to make it extra uniform and interesting to the attention… just a little bit extra eye-popping.”

An NFL spokesperson beforehand clarified the coverage to Entrance Workplace Sports activities, stating, “The league’s coverage prohibits any proprietor, whatever the quantity of possession, to make use of his or her identify, picture, and likeness for promotional functions.”

For Woodson, a Heisman Trophy winner, Tremendous Bowl champion, and Corridor of Famer, the choice got here all the way down to defending the identification he constructed past soccer—even when it meant strolling away from an NFL possession alternative.