Cleveland Browns reach US$100m deal for move to new Brook Park stadium – SportsPro

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The Cleveland Browns can move forward with plans to build a new stadium in Brook Park after the National Football League (NFL) franchise’s owner reached a deal with the city of Cleveland.
The move ends a long-running standoff between the Browns and the city, after the franchise confirmed plans last October to leave its current lakefront home in downtown for a new dome venue in the Brook Park suburb.
In response to the US$2.4 billion project, which is set to be partially funded by public money, Cleveland filed a lawsuit at the start of the year in an effort to prevent the Browns from leaving.
The city had been looking to invoke the Modell Law, which essentially states that any professional sports team using state funding for its home venue cannot leave without permission or providing six months’ notice. It also gives residents a chance to buy the team or find a new buyer.
The city’s lawsuit claimed that the Browns violated the law by not doing either of those things.
However, the two sides have reached an agreement that ends their legal battle. It includes a US$100 million commitment from Browns owner Haslam Sports Group (HSG) to the city of Cleveland that ‘will accelerate the lakefront transformation and prepare the current lakefront stadium site for redevelopment and the city’s commitment to support the continuing progress and timely completion of the Browns’ future home in Brook Park’, according to an official release.
The agreement will see HSG pay the city US$25 million by 1^st December and to raze the current stadium to a ‘pad ready state’. The cost of the demolition is estimated to be US$30 million.
HSG will also pay Cleveland US$5 million annually from 2029 through 2033, plus no less than US$2 million per year from 2029 through 2038 for community benefit projects.
Both parties have also agreed to voluntarily dismiss all lawsuits with prejudice related to the Browns’ Huntington Bank Field move to Brook Park. In addition, the city will ‘support the continuing progress and timely completion of transformational Brook Park stadium and mixed-use development’.
“I’m proud to deliver this historic deal to the residents of the city of Cleveland,” said Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb. “My administration, with the Haslams’ support will finally unlock the full potential of our lakefront, benefiting all residents and attracting new investment to the city.
Bibb added: “This US$100 million investment continues our lakefront momentum and economic resurgence. This agreement puts the lakefront on the path to transformational development and the Browns on the path to a world-class facility in Brook Park. This is the right solution for the city and the region. Cleveland’s time is now. We are a city that leads the region, that’s open for business, and that knows how to get big things done.”
HSG principal partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said: “Because of Mayor Bibb’s leadership, and this monumental public-private partnership, we are accelerating the transformation of Cleveland’s lakefront while delivering a new world-class stadium and mixed-use development in Brook Park. It’s a win for the city, the region, and the fans.
“We will always be the Cleveland Browns, and this agreement reflects a continued commitment by the Haslam/Johnson family to strategically invest in city of Cleveland community programmes, building on the family’s consistent charitable giving across the region since taking leadership of the Cleveland Browns in 2013.”
The plan is for the new stadium to be constructed on the site of a former Ford Motor Company plant, with the venue situated 80 feet below ground and rise 221 feet above ground.
The Browns are contributing US$1.2 billion towards the construction costs and will receive US$600 million in state funding. The franchise is working to secure the remaining financing through ongoing discussions with Brook Park officials.

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