The Cleveland Browns look set to face a major obstacle in their plans to build a new $2.4 billion stadium.
Owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have long hoped to build a state-of-the-art, domed facility in the Brook Park suburb, in a move that would see the team depart Huntington Bank Field that sits on Downtown Cleveland’s lakefront.
That site has been home to the Browns for eight decades and any relocation — even if it’s just 16 miles southwest — has been a contentious issue.
Earlier this month, the Browns got a major boost when the state of Ohio formally approved a two-year budget plan that set aside $600m for their stadium project.
Those funds were signed into law by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and will be paid out from an account of unclaimed funds that will make up a quarter of the cost of building a new Huntington Bank Field in Brook Park.
Lawmakers also quietly slipped in a last-minute budget change that effectively gutted the ‘Modell Law’ and thwarted the city of Cleveland’s lawsuit against the Browns to stop them from leaving their current home.
Following that news, the Haslams shared an open letter with fans that celebrated a ‘tremendous milestone’ for their project.
However, a new development could yet put a spanner in the works.
According to Cleveland.com, attorneys for the city have asked a judge to order the Browns to stop all work on the planned move.
Justin Herdman, an attorney for the city of Cleveland, argued in a filing late last week that the franchise has violated the team’s lease, which says the city would be entitled to remedies beyond monetary damages, including the ability to halt any relocation.
The Browns have a current lease at Huntington Bank Field that expires at the end of the 2028 NFL season.
On the surface, a stadium move would be no issue, as the franchise will be free to play elsewhere as of 2029 — which is when they plan on arriving in Brook Park.
Herdman, though, argued in the filing that the Browns violated terms of the lease, including a provision that requires the team to ‘hold, maintain and defend its rights to play professional football in the City of Cleveland’ and another that prohibits the team from negotiating or taking steps to leave the city.
“In those plain terms, the lease guarantees that, until the lease expires, the Browns will not pursue any plans to relocate to a new stadium outside of the City of Cleveland — exactly what the Browns are doing,” Herdman wrote, per Cleveland.com.
The city have asked Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Lauren Moore to issue a ruling that would force the franchise to stop ‘doing anything related to funding, official permitting, construction, servicing, maintenance or operation of a Brook Park stadium’ until their lease expires after the 2028 season.
They also asked that the judge’s orders include that the team can’t accept any money ‘from any source’ for the construction of the stadium or carry out any negotiations.
Should Judge Moore granted the city’s request, it would stall hopes that the Browns could move in to Brook Park for the 2029 season, with a groundbreaking previously set for 2026.
The Browns are desperate to relocate to a state-of-the-art facility, with recent concepts suggesting their new home will be the first in the AFC North with a roof — on par with the likes of SoFi Stadium and Allegiant Stadium.
While the idea of the Browns playing indoors has caused a stir — with the likes of Pat McAfee suggesting they risk alienating ‘real fans’ — it’s likely a new facility could host the Super Bowl.
The NFL has made its preference for indoor venues clear, and commissioner Roger Goodell has already dangled the carrot.
He suggested recently that the proposed new stadium ‘would clearly be Super Bowl material’ — while the Browns current home is not.
But despite the state of Ohio having already set aside $600m for the stadium project, and the chance to one day host a Super Bowl, it seems the city of Cleveland will do everything possible to keep the Browns where they are.
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