The Browns won’t be leaving town again. And, if they do, they won’t be going far.
When the issue of a new or renovated stadium came up during Monday’s press conference with ownership, Jimmy Haslam made it clear that a relocation to a new state (or country) won’t happen.
“These are big, complex projects,” Jimmy Haslam said. “There’s going to be a public-private partnership, OK? And getting that right is not easy. . . . The only thing Dee and I would say for sure is we’re not leaving northeastern Ohio, OK? That’s for sure. Our preference is to be on the lakefront. But you have to see how things play out. It will be fluid and there will be bumps on the road and it may be different in three months than it is now.”
Both Jimmy and Dee Haslam mentioned in glowing terms the deal that was done for a new stadium for the Columbus Crew, the MLS team the Haslams own. They seem to expect something not quite so simple in Cleveland.
“When you work through a public process, it’s by nature and probably good that it’s messy OK?” Haslam said. “It’s just going to be that way. There’s going to be bumps and bruises and it’s going to take some time. And we have some time. The important thing is to get it right.”
The Haslams clearly expect a significant contribution, and not just from the city.
“The city of Cleveland is a smaller entity, obviously, than Cuyahoga County and certainly than the state of Ohio,” Jimmy Haslam said. “I think it starts with the city, but we spent plenty of time talking to the new county mayor and lots of time talking to the lieutenant governor and the governor. There has to be three different funding sources, and that’s the way it worked in our stadium in Columbus.”
Will it work that way in Cleveland? It’s to be determined. But Haslam said the team won’t be leaving northeastern Ohio. He didn’t say anything about not leaving Cleveland. Which could open the door for Akron or one of the other towns in northeastern Ohio.
