ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio shared a story during Thursday night’s NFL draft coverage that sounds almost too bizarre to be true.
Paolantonio said he met with Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam before the draft began, and that Haslam said he received enlightenment on which quarterback to select after an encounter with an homeless man on the streets of Cleveland.
“Here in Cleveland, everywhere I go, people know me,” Paolantonio quoted Haslam as saying. “I was out to dinner recently, and a homeless person was out on the street, looked up at me and said, ‘Draft (Johnny) Manziel.’ Just like that.”
Paolantonio said that after that experience, the Browns owner was convinced that Manziel was who the people of Cleveland wanted.
That’s just … weird. Haslam apparently listened, though, as the Browns pulled off a number of draft-night trades before eventually picking the former Heisman Trophy winner with the 22nd overall pick.
Check out the full story in the video below.
