by Mary Spiller
February 7, 2026
The Hall of Famer says NFL restrictions would have required him to remove his establish from wine and whiskey corporations.
Skilled Soccer Hall of Famer Charles Woodson has backed out of a beforehand launched plan to purchase a minority stake throughout the Cleveland Browns, citing conflicts between NFL possession tips and his rising wine and spirits enterprise.
Woodson, a former All-Skilled defensive once more, knowledgeable Entrance Office Sports activities actions that he in the long run chosen to not proceed with shopping for a 0.1% possession share throughout the franchise because of league insurance coverage insurance policies would have compelled him to separate his establish from his wine and whiskey producers.
“I believed I was going to be a proud proprietor of the Browns nevertheless it certainly wasn’t able to happen because of I wasn’t able to take my establish off of my product,” Woodson talked about. “It’s what made the product. It’s how I started so I wasn’t prepared to do this.”
The deal seemed to be successfully underway ultimate spring, when the Browns launched in May that Woodson had obtained league approval as a minority investor and praised the angle he would carry to the possession group. Primarily based totally on the group’s estimated valuation on the time—between $4 billion and $6.4 billion—the stake would have been worth roughly $4 million to $6 million.
Nonetheless, Entrance Office Sports activities actions reported that NFL guidelines prohibit group householders from selling alcohol, a rule that immediately conflicted with Woodson’s enterprise ventures, along with “Charles Woodson’s Intercept Wines” and “Woodson Whiskey.” Whatever the restriction, Woodson’s wine has beforehand been served at Las Vegas Raiders video video games, underscoring the bizarre rigidity between league protection and his mannequin.
In the long term, Woodson chosen to retain full administration of his firms barely than finalize the Browns funding. The group confirmed the break up in a fast assertion to Entrance Office Sports activities actions, saying, “We respect the selection by Charles and wish him successfully.”
Although Woodson under no circumstances carried out for Cleveland all through his NFL occupation, he is an Ohio native and reportedly constructed a strong rapport with Browns proprietor Jimmy Haslam in 2024. With out an possession place to pursue, Woodson plans to proceed his post-playing occupation as an NFL broadcaster whereas rising his footprint throughout the spirits enterprise.
Woodson talked about he and his group are centered on refining the presentation of Intercept Wines, along with a refreshed bottle design.
“For the wine, certainly one of many essential modifications that we’ve made is the packaging and look of our bottles,” he outlined. “We wanted to make it additional uniform and fascinating to the eye… barely bit additional eye-popping.”
An NFL spokesperson beforehand clarified the protection to Entrance Office Sports activities actions, stating, “The league’s protection prohibits any proprietor, regardless of the amount of possession, to utilize his or her establish, image, and likeness for promotional capabilities.”
For Woodson, a Heisman Trophy winner, Great Bowl champion, and Hall of Famer, the selection received right here all the way in which right down to defending the id he constructed previous soccer—even when it meant strolling away from an NFL possession different.
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