BROWNS Davis takes blame for Wolf's departure



The Cleveland coach said there are times he regrets things he has said.
BEREA, Ohio (AP) -- Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis took some blame Friday for the departure of Ron Wolf, who spent less than three months with the team as a part-time football consultant.
Wolf abruptly resigned earlier this week, saying he wasn't asked to do much by Davis during his short time with the Browns. The club hired the former Green Bay general manager as a talent evaluator and adviser.
Wolf said he was bothered by recent comments made by Davis, who dismissed some of the opinions offered by the 65-year-old.
First public comments
In his first public comments since Wolf left, Davis said he was sorry about the way things transpired.
"I really regret the way it turned out and ended, and I'll take some of the responsibility for that," Davis said during a pre-draft news conference. "I'm the first to admit that there's times that I regret things I said. I'm human.
"I make mistakes. Out of frustration and anger, Sometimes I'll say things in a flippant remark."
Wolf, who built the Packers into a Super Bowl champion, based part of his decision to leave on Carmen Policy's resignation as team president. Policy will step down on May 1 but remain with the Browns as a consultant for the remainder of the season.
The departure of Policy and Wolf is fueling a perception that Davis is a tyrant and unwilling to listen or accept opinions.
"I think it's an unfortunate perception," said Davis, adding he never makes a decision without the blessing of others in the Browns' front office. "Everybody talks. Everybody has input. It's a collaborative effort."
Davis dismissed Wolf's assertion that he wasn't used by the Browns. Wolf was given projects to work on during free agency and the team had planned to bring him in next week during final preparations for the draft.
Other moves
The Browns finished restructuring a few contracts of key players on Friday and signed free agent linebacker Warrick Holdman.
Davis said the club has redone the contracts of defensive end Courtney Brown, defensive tackle Gerard Warren, offensive tackle Ross Verba and safety Robert Griffith.
The club did not release financial terms on the contracts but said Verba, who missed all of last season with a torn bicep, had two years added to his deal.
Holdman played the past five seasons with the Chicago Bears, who selected him in the fourth round in 1999.
The 6-foot-1, 234-pounder's career has been slowed by knee injuries. He had his best season in 2001 when he had 145 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks.
He returned from knee surgery last season and started 13 games, finishing with 79 tackles.
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