The Haslams want to take their business to Brook Park, 14 miles away.
The mayor of Cleveland Justin Bibb has sent a letter to the owners of the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns franchise, Dee and Jimmy Haslam, informing them that the city will invoke the “Modell Law” in an effort to prevent them from leaving the city-owned stadium. The Haslams’ lease with Cleveland ends after the 2028 NFL season. Bibb wants an answer by January 9th about the Haslams’ future intentions although the Haslams’ have made it quite clear that their vision is to build a stadium-village in Brook Park, which is located about 14 miles from Cleveland. The Modell Law dates back to 1996 after then Cleveland Browns franchise owner Art Modell took his business to Baltimore once he could not get funding to build a Cleveland football facility. Cleveland built a baseball stadium and an arena. Modell missed out on public funding, packed his bags and left after the 1995 NFL season.
The Modell Law states that no owner of a professional sports team in Ohio playing in a tax-supported stadium can go elsewhere without an agreement with the city in which it plays or unless that city is given six months’ advance notice with an opportunity to buy the team. It is unclear however if the law is constitutional and the Haslams did file a federal lawsuit in hopes of getting “clarity” on the law and are waiting on a decision. The Haslams seemingly have dismissed Bibb’s threat “the statute and the city’s actions create uncertainty and do not serve the interest of Greater Cleveland.” The Haslams have purchased a 176-acre parcel in Brook Park where they intend to build the stadium village. The Haslams have said the project which will include a stadium, retail and residential space will cost around $2.4 billion to complete. They want half of that money from Ohio taxpayers.
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