Haslam Sports Group has decided to move the Cleveland Browns to Brook Park. The city of Cleveland has "exhausted all options without compromising the general revenue of our city," said Mayor Justin Bibb in a press conference today.
"I believe it's a competitive advantage having three major league sports teams in the heart of Downtown," Bibb shared.
The mayor reflected on the sports team's history in the city and his own personal ties to the football team — and noted that he and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne strongly oppose the move. Cleveland is set to lose more than $30 million in annual economic impact.
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"Allocating scarce public resources toward a move that harms Downtown and weakens Cuyahoga County is bad public policy," Bibb said.
Previously, Ronayne and Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin had proposed using Burke Lakefront Airport as a space for the Browns to build a domed stadium.
"We believe the Burke option could have been a competitive deal after preliminary due diligence, but unfortunately, the Haslams were uninterested," Bibb said.
However, he said the City of Cleveland will keep the door open to the Haslams, if a dome stadium in Brook Park can't work out.
RELATED: County Officials Urge Haslams To Keep Browns Downtown
"Should the Haslams reconsider, we are ready to return to the table and continue working toward a solution that keeps the Browns in the city that has stood by them for decades, and decades, and decades, and that city is Cleveland, Ohio," Bibb said.
Shortly after Bibb's conference, Ronayne shared a statement on social media: "Executive Ronayne has made his position clear: the Browns stadium should remain Downtown. Today, he is focused on the business of Cuyahoga County and cheering for a Guardians win tonight."
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Not long after the mayor's news conference, Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam issued an eight-paragraph emailed statement, confirming that the team plans to move on to the Brook Park dome project.
The statement ended with this: “We recognize our season on the field has not had the start we all hoped for and are working hard to improve each week to make our fans proud. At the same time, it is critical that we remain committed to the best long-term, sustainable solution for our stadium and to providing the world-class dome experience our fans deserve. We are confident that the Brook Park project will significantly benefit the Northeast Ohio region for generations to come.”
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