Off the field, much of the talk surrounding the Browns focused on where the team will play in the future and whether a proposal to renovate the existing facility – the Cleveland Browns Stadium – would be competitive enough to keep the organization’s games downtown.
The competing proposal emerged earlier this year as the Browns’ ownership group – Haslam Sports Group – purchased land in Brook Park and has unveiled plans to build a domed stadium on the 176-acre parcel of land.
Yesterday, the team received its formal offer from the city of Cleveland, outlining $461 million in funding for stadium renovation to keep the Browns playing in the downtown stadium.
The organization noted in its response they “appreciates” the offer without indicating whether the proposal was enough to keep the team in downtown Cleveland.
There’s a simple reason behind that lack of commitment; the Browns’ ownership group seems very intent on building a domed stadium.
In remarks at The Greenbrier this week, managing partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam touted the benefits of building a new stadium – complete with shopping and entertainment options – and what the economic impact would be for such a dual-use arena.
Dee Haslam pointed specifically to Lower.com Field, the home of the Columbus Crew (also under Haslam Sports Group’s management) as her example.
Cleveland’s proposal to give nearly half a billion dollars to the ownership group fell short of initial requests for $500-600 million in funding the ownership group sought to renovate their current facility.
Receiving the proposal – especially after the Haslams publicly exalted the domed proposal – makes clear the city government’s intentions to keep the team playing in the downtown stadium.
The team’s response left the door open to accepting it, but it seems clear the NFL franchise is intent on hearing from other state officials before making a move forward.
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