The Browns will not pass.
The city of Cleveland filed a lawsuit Tuesday in an attempt to block the NFL team’s move from Lake Erie’s Huntington Bank Stadium to what would be a dome in suburban Brook Park, 15 miles south of the city in the same county, according to ESPN.
The city wants to use the “Model Law” to end this ruling, which states that any professional sports owner who owns a subsidized stadium for home games and receives state funding is not allowed to leave the venues unless authorized to play elsewhere. or have provided six months’ notice.
The plan was put together and brought to Cleveland’s attention by the Browns in October, detailing the construction of a $2.4 billion stadium and entertainment complex in the suburb that hopes to be completed once their lease with the city expired after the 2028 season.
“The requirements of the Model Law are simple,” reads the city of Cleveland’s lawsuit, according to ESPN. “It provides that if a team takes taxpayer money and plays at a tax-supported facility, then the owner must either obtain permission from the City or give the City and others the opportunity to purchase the team before moving it away from this facility.”
Team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam, who are seeking an equal private/public partnership for the project, said the intent of the move was to “find the optimal long-term solution for our stadium.”
The suburban venue is also being touted as a better “central location” for fans to come and go, as well as more opportunities for “ample parking,” said David Jenkins, chief operating officer of Haslam Sports Group, according to the NFL.
In October, the Browns requested clarification on the model law, which was passed in 1996 and used to prevent MLS’s Columbus Crew from leaving Ohio for Texas in 2019.
The Haslams, who also co-own the NBA’s Bucks, ended up purchasing the football team and the franchise has remained in the state ever since.
The two sides previously attempted to reach a deal with Cleveland offering the Browns a 30-year lease extension in August, as well as $1.2 billion to spend on upgrades to the stadium and surrounding area, which also would have included 461 million dollars from the city.
If the Browns end up making a move, it won’t be the first time.
Originally from Cleveland in 1946, former owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore in 1996 after a war with city officials, and the team was renamed the Ravens.
However, the NFL worked with city officials to secure the Browns’ return to Cleveland in 1999, and they played their first game at their current stadium, Huntington Bank Field, on September 12, 1999.
