The Browns are reportedly looking for the state to cover $600 million of the $2.4 billion cost of building a new domed stadium in Brook Park.
CLEVELAND — As the Cleveland Browns continue to develop plans for a proposed domed stadium in Brook Park, team officials are lobbying state and county officials to try to get funding assistance.
According to a spokesperson for Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood), the Haslam Sports Group is looking for the state to cover around $600 million of the $2.4 billion price tag. Some form of state assistance for a Browns stadium could come from the Ohio General Assembly later this year.
The Haslam Sports Group has previously stated its intention to pay $1.2 billion, which does not include another $1 billion for the entertainment district surrounding the stadium. The other $1.2 billion would come via public money, although a specific public-private funding plan has not yet been announced.
The Browns have not offered a specific proposal, according to state lawmakers, and Senate President Rob McColley told the media Monday that he’s against a handout to the team.
According to Antonio, before the state offers any help, the legislature needs to figure out where they stand on providing financial aid to any sports stadium. Giving money to the Browns, she said, would likely prompt other Ohio sports teams to ask for help.
Antonio also said she stands with leaders in the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County and their efforts to keep Huntington Bank Field in downtown Cleveland.
“We’re going to continue to have a dialogue about what’s appropriate as it relates to any public expenditure in a new facility or a renovated facility,” Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne told 3News on Monday, the same day he met with the Haslam Sports Group.
Ronayne has previously stated that the county would not provide any financial support if the Browns were to leave downtown for Brook Park. He said the county has a lot of priorities and they need to make sure they’re making the right investment.
“But our sports teams are very important and I say that plurally. We have the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers, we have the ALCS-bound Guardians and we have the Cleveland Browns. But we got to find a balance and we also have to figure out in our communities how we support sports and recreation in the community. So, there’s a lot to work through as it relates to stadium location, or renovation or new build and what the county’s participation would be in it,” Ronayne said.
“Sports, entertainment is important to this region. It’s who we are,” he added. “And the facilities that support that is important but there’s always a balancing act with public funds as to what is and what isn’t appropriate and we’ll be talking that through in this year 2025.”
HOW WE GOT HERE
With the lease on Huntington Bank Field set to expire in 2028, team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam announced in March of 2024 that they were down to two options when it comes to their future stadium site: a $1 billion renovation to the existing downtown stadium, or a domed stadium outside of the city at double the cost. Word soon spread that the Haslams had optioned more than 170 acres of land in Brook Park near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
On Aug. 1, in what the city called “a competitive deal to retain the Cleveland Browns at their current stadium site,” Mayor Justin Bibb put forth a $461 million financing proposal to the Haslams to renovate the 25-year-old facility. The plan included a 30-year lease arrangement.
Six days later, the Haslam Sports Group unveiled renderings and video showcasing what a domed stadium complex in Brook Park would look like. In a letter, Jenkins referred to the idea of building $2.4 billion dome in Brook Park as a “transformational option” that will create “a modern, dynamic, world-class venue that would greatly enhance the fan experience and enable the State of Ohio and our region to compete for some of the biggest events in the world 365 days a year. Similar to other markets in the Midwest, this proposed domed stadium would catalyze our region in a major way.”
Less than a week later, Cuyahoga County leaders pounced on the proposal, arguing it “does not make fiscal sense” for citizens and taxpayers. Ronayne urged the team to focus on renovating the current stadium, and stated that “any proposal that would create an unacceptable risk to the County’s general fund cannot be considered.”
On Oct. 17, the Browns confirmed their plans to move to Brook Park with plans including having an adjacent mixed-use development alongside the domed stadium. Team owners argued renovating the current stadium would not solve long-term issues, and that a domed stadium would allow them to host big events year-round and generate more revenue in the region.
In a press conference that same day, Bibb expressed his deep disappointment in the Haslam Sports Group’s decision, calling the team’s choice “frustrating and profoundly disheartening.”
“We have exhausted every single option to keep the browns in our city without compromising the general revenue of our city,” Bibb said during a press conference. “We remain committed to doing what we can to keep the Browns in Cleveland if Brook Park is not viable.”
One week after the announcement, the Browns filed a federal lawsuit asking a judge to declare the Modell Law, which requires any Ohio team playing in a tax-supported facility to give the city or locals the chance to buy the team, unconstitutional. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost later filed a motion to intervene on the city’s behalf, which was granted.
“Nobody in this city can expect us to go away without a fight,” Cleveland City Council president Blaine Griffin said at the time. “So I’m glad that it’s in the courts, but it’s not going to stop us from being advocates for our city.”
In November, a Cleveland-commissioned study claimed Brook Park was not a viable option for the team. It found Brook Park would find it difficult to attract residents and retailers and also showed Cleveland would take a hit without a stadium, losing $30 million in economic activity and $11 million in tax revenue.
But a competing study commissioned by Haslam Sports Group found that while the move would close the door on the snowy types of home games, the Brook Park site would open the door to nearly 5,400 jobs and $1.2 billion in economic activity for Cuyahoga County.
On Dec. 30, Bibb sent a letter to the Browns that declared the city’s intentions to enforce the Modell Law, including taking “a leadership role in assembling an ‘individual or group of individuals who reside in the area’ in purchasing the team” should they go forward with a move out of downtown. If the club does not respond by Jan. 9, “the City intends to take appropriate legal action.”
The following day, the Haslam Sports Group told 3News they are determined to build a new enclosed stadium and adjacent mixed-use development.
“We intend to respond directly in due course to Mayor Bibb’s letter and have no further comment at this time,” the statement read.