Although the Cleveland Browns unveiled a new sponsor for the team’s stadium, the plans didn’t begin Monday night.
Instead, the discussions about the naming rights Huntington Bank will pay for over the next 20 seasons began to take shape during the Major League Soccer All-Star break.
Browns owners and principal partner Jimmy Haslam recalled how the discussion occurred, ultimately leading to the lakefront facility becoming Huntington Bank Field.
Analyst Jeff Schudel shared the video on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – on Tuesday as Haslam revealed the behind-the-scenes look at these discussions.
“J.W. (Johnson, the Browns’ executive vice president) and I spent a decent amount of time with him (Huntington Bank CEO Steve Steinour), and we could tell there was mutual interest,” Haslam said of his initial meeting during the July MLS All-Star festivities.
Cleveland #Browns Stadium is now Huntington Bank Stadium. The name will transfer to the next building if the Browns relocate, Huntington CEO Steve Steinour (with glasses) said. Team owner Jimmy Haslam said "now is not the time" to answer new stadium questions. pic.twitter.com/4S6b5OnUVD
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) September 3, 2024
Huntington Bank’s CEO recalled the two organizations began the initial process earlier in the summer, and those talks did not develop until Haslam and Johnson met with Steinour at the Columbus-based headquarters.
The timing of the announcement is no coincidence, either.
Both Huntington Bank and the Browns wanted to finish this deal before the season opener, a game in which a national audience will turn in to see Cleveland take on the Dallas Cowboys at 4:25 p.m. as well as watch Tom Brady make his broadcasting debut.
Haslam said he knew this would happen as the two organizations worked over the weekend on this project to finalize the details of the naming rights agreement.
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