Mayor Justin Bibb blasted Cleveland Browns ownership after he said the team informed him they will be walking away from downtown for a new stadium in Brook Park.
In a news conference at City Hall on Thursday, the mayor said he was “deeply, deeply disappointed” by the move, which he said would hurt downtown and the county at large. In recent weeks, the city had even floated the idea of building the team a new stadium on the site now occupied by Burke Lakefront Airport, Bibb said.
“It’s the wrong time not to choose Cleveland and the wrong time not to choose our lakefront and downtown,” the mayor said.
Browns changed directions after 2022, Bibb says
Bibb said that Browns officials told him in 2022 that the team did not see a new stadium as feasible, but that the team later changed its position as the Brook Park idea took shape. That shift cost the city negotiating time, he said.
The mayor cast the city’s offer as one that would allow the team to invest in Cleveland while staying “highly profitable.” By moving to Brook Park, the team would create an entertainment venue that would compete with downtown businesses and publicly subsidized sports and convention venues, Bibb said.
“The Haslam Sports Group’s proposal to build a new domed stadium in Brook Park will undoubtedly damage the city, county and region in a multitude of ways,” he said.
Despite the strong words, Bibb said the city would welcome the Browns back to the negotiating table should the Brook Park idea not bear fruit. Having three major sports teams centered in downtown Cleveland is a benefit to the city, he said.
Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam say they negotiated in good faith
Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam acknowledged in a late Thursday afternoon statement that the team is now zeroing in on the Brook Park deal. The Haslams said they had worked in “good faith” with Bibb. The team initially focused on renovating the stadium before concluding that the site would only be a “short-term approach,” the statement said.
“With more time to reflect, we have also realized that without a dome, we will not attract the type of large-scale events and year-round activity to justify the magnitude of this public-private partnership,” the statement read. “The transformational economic opportunities created by a dome far outweigh what a renovated stadium could produce with around ten events per year.”
The Haslams said they worked with the city and county to evaluate building a stadium at Burke airport, but that the project would have cost too much.
Leaders at the county and state level had little to say after Bibb’s news conference. Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne – who is already on record opposing a move to Brook Park – issued a brief statement after the mayor concluded.
“Executive Ronayne has made his position clear: the Browns stadium should remain Downtown,” the statement read. “Today he is focused on the business of Cuyahoga County and cheering for a Guardians win tonight.”
Gov. Mike DeWine paying attention but not commenting on Browns decision
Gov. Mike DeWine had no comment.
The Browns and the city have looked to the state and county as potential partners in a stadium deal. Cleveland already uses a portion of the countywide tax on alcohol and cigarettes to pay for repairs at the stadium. Bibb said Thursday that he would expect those proceeds to remain in Cleveland even if the Browns leave.
Bibb has long said that he wanted to protect the city’s general fund – which covers basic city operating expenses – from the costs of ongoing stadium maintenance. After months of behind-the-scenes talks, Bibb went public this year with a $461 million pitch to keep the stadium on the lakefront.
The proposal included $367 million to renovate the current lakefront stadium and another $94 million for repairs. That was short of what the team wanted, which was for taxpayers to pay for $500 million to $600 million of a renovation that could cost $1 billion to $1.2 billion.
Following the city’s proposal, the Browns released a promotional video showing the public what it had shopped to public officials and civic leaders, a new $2.4 billion stadium in Brook Park with a roof.
At the time, the team said it was still exploring both new and renovated stadium options.
