Who is Catherine Hickman? The assistant GM sparking outrage among Browns fans with controversial sweatshirt
One phrase on the Cleveland executive’s sweatshirt sparked a wave of criticism online
The Cleveland Browns are already facing enough scrutiny over the direction of the franchise entering the 2026 NFL season. Assistant general manager Catherine Hickman managed to add another talking point without saying a word.
Hickman appeared before reporters this week wearing a distressed gray sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase “Los Angeles Made Me Do It,” a message that might have gone unnoticed in almost any other setting. In Cleveland, it landed very differently.
The Browns spent the offseason making the blockbuster decision to trade Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams , sending one of the franchise’s biggest stars west in exchange for Jared Verse and a package of draft picks.
Against that backdrop, fans immediately seized on Hickman ’s outfit and questioned how nobody inside the organization had anticipated the reaction.
“There’s not a franchise in sports that has such little self awareness to let their assistant GM hold a press conference with that sweatshirt on,” one fan wrote on X. “In a vacuum it’s not a big deal but if you follow them closely it tells you the whole story of who they are.”
Another supporter was even more pointed: “The fans would look at this and say this team can’t be this tone deaf and think this kind of display has to be intentional,” the fan wrote. “Nope. And then you realize, it’s just like any other day in Berea.”
Myles Garrett connection made optics worse
There's no known professional link between Hickman and Los Angeles that would explain the slogan. She's a Montreal native and hasn't worked for either the Rams or Chargers .
The problem was simply that “Los Angeles” now carries obvious significance for Browns fans after Garrett ’s departure.
Cleveland received Verse along with first, second and third-round picks in the deal, but the trade still marked a dramatic shift for a team already carrying plenty of uncertainty.
The Browns are also preparing to move forward with Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback, another decision that has drawn significant criticism. Asked about that choice, Hickman defended the organization’s process.
“Everything we do is to win football games, that’s how we make our decisions, that’s how we think about it as an organization,” she said. “That’s not different at that position.”
Every public appearance more noticeable
The backlash over the sweatshirt also reflects Hickman ’s growing profile inside the league.
She joined the Browns in 2022 and has risen to assistant general manager and vice president of football operations, putting her among the highest-ranking women in NFL front offices.
She has previously interviewed for a general manager position and remains a potential candidate to become the first woman to hold that title full-time in the NFL.
That status means even a seemingly minor detail like clothing can attract more attention than expected. The sweatshirt itself may have been nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence.
But with Garrett now in Los Angeles and Browns fans already anxious about another difficult season, the phrase “Los Angeles Made Me Do It” was always going to hit a nerve.
