The Browns continued to succeed upon entering the NFL in 1950, winning the championship that year and reaching the title game in both 1951 and 1952. In January 1951, McBride testified in nationally televised hearings before the Kefauver Committee, where he was questioned about his Continental Press Service and alleged ties to organized crime and illegal gambling. It emerged that McBride partnered with Cleveland police captain John Fleming in real estate deals and had Fleming on the Yellow Cab payroll until 1941. McBride denied the mafia connections, claimed he never broke the law and was never charged with any crime. Congress later passed legislation making such wire services illegal.