When will the bleeding stop at Pilot Flying J?

 From  the Cleveland Plain Dealer,  Cleveland.com

     Like everyone else, I've been thinking about this rebate scam at Pilot Flying J, in which trucking companies were illegally denied rebates on diesel fuel. Let's forget about whether Haslam is going to jail or not, since that is many years away. But what about the damage to Haslam's parent company, Pilot Flying J? I don't know about you, but as a Browns fan (and one that travels a lot) I have bought my gas at Pilot Flying J since Haslam bought the team. This is where his money comes from, not from football. Pilot Flying J depends vitally on small independent trucking companies, and they are very very mad. These companies are first of all going to sue Pilot Flying J down to their undershorts, and they are going to find other sources of fuel. Even the larger companies that were not ripped off are going to question whether they can afford to do business with a company with a tarnished reputation. So where will it stop? This might shake Pilot Flying J to its very core. 

Knoxville News 

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam explains to the press how the new Cleveland Browns Rebate program will work for season ticket holders. 

Here is a quote from Tommy Hodges, of Titan Transfer Inc, which operates 375 over-the-road trucks according to  USA Today.

  "Until today, I considered Jimmy Haslam a friend," said Hodges, whose company operates 375 over-the-road trucks. "But when someone you count as a friend lets you down, it kind of puts a knot in your stomach. We're still buying fuel from them today, but we're looking at other options."

     Soon, the Browns might have an out-of-state owner who is a Steelers fan and who also has big money problems.  In turn, I can not imagine that players' agents will recommend Cleveland to their clients. Good luck trying to sign more free agents, guys. 

    This is not a good combination, and it might take years to fix it.