Ray Farmer


Harvey Ray Farmer is a former professional American football player and former general manager of the Cleveland Browns.

Playing career

Farmer played free safety at Duke University from 1992 to 1996. He was all-Atlantic Coast Conference twice, and as a senior, he led the team in tackles with 111 and played in two collegiate all-star games. After graduation with a degree in sociology, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 1996 draft, and played three seasons at linebacker. His career was ended by a knee injury.

Administrative career

Farmer was formerly the general manager for the Cleveland Browns. Prior to his position with the Browns, he was director of pro personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2006 to 2012 and a scout for the Atlanta Falcons from 2002 to 2006. Before working in the NFL, he was the academic coordinator for football at Duke University in 2001, and worked in TV and radio from 1998-2000.
In February 2015, the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported that Farmer was under investigation for sending texts to coaching staff discussing play-calling during games, which violated the league's electronic device policy. Farmer was eventually suspended in March 2015 for the first four games of the 2015 regular season without pay, and the team was fined $250,000.
On January 3, 2016, after Cleveland's final game of the season, Farmer was fired.