The SEC Network is taking a sponsorship hit following an article run by ESPN back in January.

How so? One of the key sponsors of the SEC Network is pulling out halfway into a four-year deal after ESPN ran a story detailing the inner workings of the Cleveland Browns and the ineptitude of the franchise under owner Jimmy Haslam — as if the team’s record didn’t speak for itself in that regard.

As odd as that may sound, that appears to be exactly what is happening according to Michael Smith of the Sports Business Daily. Smith reports that the relationship between Pilot and ESPN was “irretrievably damaged” following the publishing of the article.

If you were unaware, the Browns are owned by Haslam, the CEO of Pilot Flying J. Pilot is a key sponsor of the SEC Network and was in a four-year sponsorship deal with ESPN, which does advertising for the SEC Network. Following the publishing of the lengthy article on the Browns, Pilot has made the decision to pull out of the sponsorship deal with ESPN.

According to the Sports Business Daily, the deal is worth “low-to-mid seven figures annually” to ESPN/SEC Network. Pilot also pays Paul Finebaum and Laura Rutledge to endorse its products and sponsors the SEC Network’s pregame show, “SEC Nation.”

While this may be a blow for the time being, the popularity of the SEC Network is likely to lead to another sponsor filling the void left by Pilot heading into the 2019 season. The only question is, can ESPN land a deal of equal value for the SEC Network?