After the Cleveland Browns’ original franchise left the city following the 1995 season, Ohio modified its state code to include the “Modell Law,” prohibiting Ohio sports franchises from leaving their taxpayer-supported facilities.
The team’s rebirth in 1999 accompanied the completion of a new stadium – Huntington Bank Field – after the city tore down Cleveland Municipal Stadium and replaced it with the newer facility.
Now, the Browns are looking to leave that stadium to build a new domed venue at Brook Park, creating a brouhaha for the city of Cleveland’s government.
Dennis Kucinich – the former Cleveland mayor and state legislator who authored the “Modell Law” – believes a recent lawsuit the Browns’ organization filed in district court could have another meaning beyond moving the Browns 15 miles away from their current home.
The lawsuit filed on Thursday alleges the “Modell Law” is unconstitutional as the organization seeks to make its case before the city of Cleveland challenged the franchise’s proposed move in court using the statute.
On X, Kucinich suggested that Browns managing partner Jimmy Haslam has other plans for the Browns beyond a move to Brook Park.
“The Modell Law wasn’t vague in 2018 when Haslam took advantage of the law to purchase the Columbus Crew,” Kucinich said of Haslam’s purchase of the Columbus Crew, adding, “It makes one wonder if Haslam’s talk about Brook Park is actually a pretty mirage as he plans to move the team elsewhere for a bigger pay day?”
This is a legal maneuver by #Browns owner #Haslam. They claim the law is vague. Nothing could be more vague than Haslam’s plan for financing for a new stadium, which borders on fraud. The Modell Law wasn’t vague in 2018 when Haslam took advantage of the law to purchase the… pic.twitter.com/BxVEW8rCRx
— Dennis Kucinich (@Dennis_Kucinich) October 25, 2024
The Browns have not expressed publicly any interest in moving beyond Brook Park.
The organization’s proposal for the domed stadium came at a $2.4 billion cost, and the franchise is seeking public funding to help offset that expense.
Cleveland’s municipal government offered the Browns $461 million in new revenue streams to renovate their existing facility earlier this summer.
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