Haslams examining pros-cons of new Browns digs

Article posted by Coliseum, April 4^th, 2024

Image: FirstEnergy Stadium, Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0

The National Football League (NFL) team Cleveland Browns Owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam used the NFL’s Annual League Meeting held in Orlando recently to address the future of the Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio (US).

New York (US)-based the National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.

The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland (US). The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference North division. The team is named after the original Coach and Co-Founder Paul Brown.

The 67,431-capacity Cleveland Browns Stadium is a stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, primarily for American football. It is the home field of the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and serves as a venue for other events such as college and high school football, soccer, hockey, and concerts.

‘AXIOS Cleveland’ stated that during an interview with reporters recently, the Haslams confirmed they are exploring two possibilities:

A $1 billion renovation to the current stadium or a new, domed stadium outside the Cleveland City in Northeast Ohio with an estimated cost of $2 billion;

What they’re saying: Said Dee Haslam, “We’re looking at both options. Not one option is above the other. But I do think that Cleveland deserves to be thought of as this evolving, forward-thinking, creative City, as opposed to not thinking big.”

‘AXIOS Cleveland’ further stated ‘The intrigue’: The Haslams also confirmed they have an option to buy a 176-acre tract of land in Brook Park (City in Ohio), adjacent to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Jimmy Haslam said a dome is not feasible downtown, because it would be in the flight path of planes at the Burke Lakefront Airport;
That doesn’t appear to be an issue in Brook Park despite Hopkins’ proximity;

The big picture: The City’s Lakefront Master Plan includes a $20 million land bridge connecting downtown to a piece of land just North of the stadium.

Recently, the Haslams denied that the Brook Park property is a leverage play to get the City to split the bill on a stadium renovation;

Between the lines: The Haslams also said they are close to extending the contracts of General Manager Andrew Berry and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski.

During his meeting with reporters recently, Stefanski said quarterback Deshaun Watson is “right where he needs to be” in rehabbing from season-ending shoulder surgery; and

The bottom line: If the Haslams are OK with a renovation and the City’s contribution to it, the Browns Stadium will probably remain downtown.

If they’re set on a dome, fans will be traveling to a suburb for the home games after the lease on the current stadium expires in 2028.

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