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The Cleveland Browns Fired Bill Belichick On This Day 23 Years Ago

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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Today is the 23-year-anniversary of the Cleveland Browns making one of the dumbest decisions in the history of sports.

On February 15, 1996, the Cleveland Browns fired Bill Belichick as their head coach after five years leading the team.

Yes, the Cleveland Browns actually made the decision to fire Belichick. Since that day, Belichick has won six Super Bowl rings as the head coach of the New England Patriots. (RELATED: Patriots Beat The Rams In The Super Bowl)

What have the Browns done since 1996? Nothing. They’ve been a disgraceful pit of chaos and the laughingstock of the NFL. They’re a joke. At the same time, the Patriots have become the gold standard for building dynasties.

I would bet just about anything that there isn’t a dollar amount on the planet the Browns wouldn’t pay in order to go back in time and reverse this decision. (RELATED: Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Names His Boat VIII Rings)

The Browns firing Belichick and him going forward to win six Super Bowls is the most Cleveland story ever told.

The city just can’t catch a break, and I absolutely love it. They had the most successful NFL coach in the history of the league on staff, and they showed him the exit. The stupidity of the Browns is beyond parody, but at least it’s always entertaining.

CLARIFICATION: Some of you seem to be under the impression that the Baltimore Ravens fired Bill Belichick. Last time I checked, Belichick never coached a game when the team was in Baltimore and the team hadn’t played a game in the city when he was fired. His last coached game was with the Browns.

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