Curious move to let Shea go

The Cleveland Browns made a bit of a head-scratching behind-the-scenes move Friday.

The team decided to part ways with Aaron Shea, the team’s Player Engagement Director. Shea was a Browns draft pick in 1999 and a productive player. He spent six years in the organization, the last three as Player Engagement Director (a job some teams call player development). His departure appears to be the fallout from the change in GM and coach.

A coach and GM often want their own guy. That’s fair, and Shea probably understands that. But when a team lets go of an employee who handled his job as adeptly and well as Shea it creates a need that didn’t exist.

The team is not commenting extensively on the decision.

“The Browns would like to thank Aaron for his years of service to the team,” a team spokesman said. “The organization is going to be moving in another direction with the player-engagement role.”

The Browns do lose something with this move. They lose continuity, an established way of doing things, and a way that worked. Shea did that good a job. As the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin issue developed in Miami, I started to think about why it happens with some teams and not others. So I started to ask trustworthy folks, with and not with the team, about the Browns. Folks who would know.

They all said the most overlooked person in the Miami situation was the player-engagement person. That person is in the locker room as much as anyone, they said, and he is the one who should notice what’s taking place and make sure the coach addresses it.

SI.Com’s Greg Bedard confirmed this in a recent story, when he wrote that many in the league wondered about the player development guy in Miami. As one player said: “That’s the guy we all go to when we have any problems. If they can’t help us [themselves], we know they’re going to get us the help we need with no repercussions.”

I asked a few of the Browns players about Shea. Starters, backups, rookies, veterans ... all said he did a tremendous job and, combined with the character of the team’s leadership, kept a lid on issues. Guys from Ahtyba Rubin to Joe Thomas to T.J. Ward all spoke glowingly of him.

Player development has morphed into a multi-task job. It entails things as varied as making sure players find housing to players being on time for meetings. He also monitors the locker room culture. With the Browns, rookies had to earn their way, but there wasn’t the usual hijinks of shaved heads and other over-the-top nonsense.

It was not a coincidence.

If the Browns wanted to make this move, there was nothing stopping them. They could. But as we often teach our kids, just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

A team takes a hit when it gets rid of good people who do good jobs.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/119733/curious-move-to-let-shea-go

Hmmmmm.........

Curious.

I wonder what the other side of the story is.

Me too.

The Browns are not going to let anybody know why Aaron is gone. Aaron has to much class and respect for the organization to complain. I don't think we ever will get the true answer as to why we let him go. I said it was a big mistake to let him go and I ment that 110 percent guys. Maybe a lot people had no clue what he did for the Browns, but the players, and people in the front office knew. I am done with this thread and going to let sleeping dogs lie.

I can read between the lines.

Well, it's obvious that Haslam wants a whole new dynamic and attitude inside Berea, so I suspect that there will be more changes to come. Most of the changes at this level probably aren't make or break though.

Has Pat McManamon always been this negative or is this a new development?

He was always that negative, even when he worked for the Browns

j\c

I thought one of his jobs were to keep players out of trouble? I thought that's why he was fired?

They let him go for a reason. We just won't know.

I am pretty confident we didn't let him go because he was doing a great job or because Jimmy or Ray woke up one morning and decided to make a change.

If it wasn't something like being a bit loose lipped with the media, it probably is about working relationship with the head coach. I'd say the head coach decides who fills that role. While Shea was the eyes and ears for the players, he is also the eyes and ears for the coaches. Maybe the two didn't hit it off so to speak, or Pettine viewed the position differently than Shea did?

j/c

I can't believe this thread is still going. This is a serious case of over-thinking what we don't know.

Couldn't agree more.

GM I'm sure he was well respected in the Offices and by the players of this organization.

In the realm of things that have gone on the last 4 months - I doubt this mistake (if it indeed is one) will change a thing. I also doubt this is the straw that broke the camels back.

Someone will be hired - probably in house. I'm sure they will do a good job - it doesn't seem to be a difficult job just one that needs to be done and kept up with.

Also anyone think that the Bess situation had some ramifications in this? All I've read is the good well the good did not seem to be difficult. Actually seems like a great job to have. But maybe the failure of Bess, the failure of Gordon failing a test, the failure of Haden testing positive for A.D.D. drugs the new party drug at the time.

Having a Koom-by-yah locker room compared with the Dolphins. What I am saying is possibly it wasn't all roses...only cause until a couple of days ago I didn't even remember he worked for us nor what his job description was.

jmho