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At one time, Drew Carey was considered one of the Browns' most high-profile fans. But now the Cleveland-born comedian and television star has found better, more positive uses for his time and he wonders why more tormented supporters don't do the same.

"You don't have to support them just because they're in Cleveland," Carey told NBCSports.com's Joe Posnanski earlier this month, days before the Browns were demolished by the Bengals, 37-3.

"You don't have to support them. You don't have to do it. ... If somebody owned a sandwich shop in Cleveland, and they were selling [bleepy] sandwiches, you don't have to buy the [bleepy] sandwiches just because they're from Cleveland. You could buy sandwiches from anywhere. You could buy them from a chain.

"It's stupid. You're doing the same thing with the Browns. That's a business, and they're there to take your money and make a profit. ... Quit buying it. I'll buy the Browns when they're worth buying it. That's all there is to it. I'm sorry about it. I hope I'm not hurting anybody's feelings. But I'm not a masochist. I'm not buying a bad product just because it's from Cleveland."

Carey, of course, based his sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, in Cleveland and the opening credits included the song, "Cleveland Rocks." But there's a reason he doesn't follow the Browns as closely as he once did. As he told CBSSports.com's Jeremy Markovich earlier this fall, Carey "doesn't want the losing attitude to creep into his psyche."

It probably explains why Carey is more of a soccer fan (he's part owner of the Seattle Sounders of MLS). And if your first thought is some variation of, "How the hell did Drew Carey become a soccer fan?!" he has a simple answer for you: "You ever see the Browns?"

And Carey isn't alone; last week, Cleveland restaurant owner Darryl Margolis tweeted Browns owner Jimmy Haslam an open letter, notifying him that he won't be showing Browns games for the rest of the season and is prohibiting employees from wearing Browns gear on Sundays. This is coming from a man who has supported the team for 42 years.

And Cleveland.com's Mark Naymik writes he would like to see "executives from bigger companies show their solidarity by canceling their season tickets and by no longer palling around with team executives," though he knows that a full-on boycott is unlikely. Still, the man has a point.

Fans see their tickets and game-day experience as about much more than the standings. Fans get an emotional return. But if the next 15 seasons are anything like the past 15, the emotional return won't be worth much. ...

I want to come back. But going to Home Depot on a Sunday afternoon still remains more satisfying than watching the Browns. Until that changes, I'm staying away.

But who knows, maybe Johnny Manziel, who's set to start against the 49ers on Sunday, will be the catalyst that turns it all around.

Drew Carey has moved on from the Browns. (USATSI)
Drew Carey has moved on from the Browns. (USATSI)