Two former general managers sympathize with Ray Farmer about his text messages to Cleveland Browns staffers on game days, but stress the code among high-level personnel execs is clear-cut:

Coaches coach, not GMs.

"That holds true, whether 2015 or 1955," former Browns GM Phil Savage said.

The NFL is investigating Farmer, who is in his second year as Cleveland’s general manager, after it was made aware Farmer sent texts to at least one staffer during the game, which is prohibited by league electronic communication rules. Owner Jimmy Haslam told local reporters last week that Farmer feels "terrible" about the texts. The league could make a ruling on the matter this week.

Conversations with Savage (now the Senior Bowl executive director) and former Bucs general manager Mark Dominik (now an ESPN analyst) reveal similar themes regarding a GM’s role on game days.

Those three hours can be pure agony. You work all week with the head coach on lineup configurations and situational football, only to feel helpless when the ball kicks off. Dominik jokes that he only wants to see one thing on Sundays -- the score.

"It’s a painful three hours," said Savage, the Browns’ GM from 2005-08. "It’s supposed to be your favorite day of the week, but it’s really the day of the most anguish because everything is on display and you turn it over to someone else. But I can’t recall that there was a thought to get communication to the sidelines."

Giving input to coaches during the game usurps the control of the head coach, says Dominik, who thinks GMs shouldn't sit with the owner on game days. Farmer has been seen sitting with owner Jimmy Haslam in pregame settings, and he doesn’t sit in the common-area press box with the media, which some general managers do (Dominik did with the Bucs, as does Vikings general manager Rick Spielman).

Coaches notice when the general manager is spending a lot of time with the owner on Sundays, Dominik said.

"That’s not fair to the head coach," said Dominik, who ran the Bucs’ personnel department from 2009-13. "That puts him in a bad spot. Your role is to observe from up top."

Dominik used to take extensive notes on the game-day card and would share his thoughts with then-coach Greg Schiano on Mondays. If a general manager absolutely had to deliver a message to the coaching staff on Sunday, Dominik says, he could tell the head coach in the tunnel at halftime.

Never via text, or through the headsets.

GMs often text about injuries on game days. The agent of the hurt player needs to know the situation, so the GM can notify him of the severity once he gets word from trainers. Then the GM can call around to potential free agent signees.

If the owner directs play-calling or situational questions the GM’s way, Dominik says it’s important not to undercut the coach. Take the question, give an honest answer, and tell the coach about the correspondence.

"You can really sever relationships with the head coach if you're not careful," Dominik said.

Savage doesn’t know all the details of the NFL’s text investigation, but believes experienced GMs such as Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome and New England's Nick Caserio would be less inclined to text to the sideline.

Farmer was a first-year general manager in 2014.

"Sometimes you wish you could contact your coaches, but you can’t do that," Savage said. "As hard as you try, sometimes that inexperience can catch up to you."

On game days, Dominik tried to remain stoic in the press box, even if something wildly unexpected occurred.

"Wait until Monday," he said.