Charles Woodson is a legendary figure in both college football and in the NFL.
The Michigan product won a national title and a Heisman Trophy in college, and then had an 18-year NFL career that included a Super Bowl win with the packers and nine Pro Bowl selections, among other accomplishments.
Since retiring, Woodson has been working as an analyst for Fox. Now, Woodson is reportedly planning to purchase a small ownership stake in an NFL team- and it's not one of the two teams he played for.
Instead, Woodson is buying a 0.1 percent stake in the Cleveland Browns, per Zac Jackson and Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
Jimmy and Dee Haslam have owned the Browns since 2012. The Haslams originally owned a minority stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers before purchasing the Browns for $1 billion in 2012.
The sale to Woodson is contingent upon Woodson agreeing to similar broadcasting restrictions to Raiders owner Tom Brady. Going forward, he will also remove his name, image and likeness on packaging for his wine and whiskey businesses, as it violates the NFL’s alcohol policy.
While Woodson will own just a tiny share for now, the value of NFL franchises have skyrocketed over the years. Woodson being attached to the team provides name value and makes sense considering Woodson grew up about 80 miles west of Cleveland.
Before Woodson was a legend in college and the NFL, the defender excelled at Ross High School in Fremont, OH. Woodson is Ohio's only Mr. Football to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
After high school, Woodson went on to play for the Wolverines from 1995-97. Woodson then helped the Wolverines win the national title in 1997 and also won the Heisman Trophy that season after contributing as a return man, defender, and pass-catcher.
Woodson spent the first eight years of his legendary career with the Raiders before signing with the Green Bay Packers in 2006. Woodson was able to win one Super Bowl with the Packers before returning to the Raiders in 2013.
Of course, the Woodson news came after Tom Brady became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders last season. As mentioned above, it's not surprising to see successful former players interested in owning teams considering the value only goes up.