Bill Kuharich To Take Over For Browns GM Ray Farmer During Four-Game Suspension

CLEVELAND – The Browns will have a new voice in charge while general manager Ray Farmer sits out his four-game suspension, which starts Sunday as the Browns get set for their season opener a week from Sunday vs the New York Jets.

The new man in charge is Bill Kuharich the teams’ executive chief of staff, who has worked in NFL personnel departments since 1986.

Kuharich came to the Browns in May of 2014.

Farmer was suspended for a violation of the NFL’s rules prohibiting certain uses of electronic devices during games, as it was found he was texting during games to the Browns sidelines.

“I would like to first extend apology to the Cleveland Brown fans,” Farmer said during the scouting combine after the suspension announcement.

“I know there’s gonna be a lot of questions, a lot of inquiry about texting and Text Gate or whatever the new term is. So everybody hears it from my mouth: It was me.

“To that degree, I have apologized to the people in the building — coach Pettine, (owner) Jimmy Haslam, the rest of the football staff and everybody that was involved from our side as far as football-wise that they understand what happened,” Farmer said. “To that degree, it is an open investigation from the league’s perspective so there’s not a lot of commentaries there, but I will tell you again that I take full responsibility for myself and my actions and the things that I’ve learned from that is that … there is a platform to have those conversations and have those things talked about and discussed. I misplayed that platform.”

Farmer will be able to be back with the Browns after the teams game in San Diego on October 4th.