‘Modell Law’ invoked to stop Browns’ flight



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City of Cleveland sues Browns Image: Cleveland Browns and HKS

The City of Cleveland has filed a lawsuit to stop the National Football League (NFL) team Cleveland Browns from leaving their lakefront stadium – the Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio (US) – and building a domed stadium in suburban Brook Park (City in Cuyahoga County, Ohio).

‘ESPN’ stated that the suit filed recently in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, seeks to invoke the ‘Modell Law’ to stop the Browns from moving. The State law says any professional sports owner who uses a tax-supported facility for home games and gets funding from the State or a political subdivision can’t leave unless it gets permission to play elsewhere or gives six months’ notice.

New York (US)-based the National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league composed 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 of the American Football Conference North Division. The team is named after the original Coach and Co-Founder Paul Brown.

The 67,431-capacity Huntington Bank Field 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.

‘ESPN’ further stated that in October, the Browns announced they informed the City of their intentions to build a $2.4 billion state-of-the-art stadium and entertainment complex in Brook Park – which is in the same County but 15 miles South of Cleveland – when their stadium lease with the City expires at the end of the 2028 NFL season.

The Browns Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have been seeking a 50-50 private-public partnership for the construction of the stadium. The Haslams said in a statement that the intended move was the result of trying to “find the optimal long-term solution for our stadium”.

The Browns also filed a lawsuit in October 2024 seeking clarification on the Modell Law. The State law, which was passed in 1996, was used in 2019 to prevent the Major League Soccer (MLS) team Columbus Crew from leaving for Texas. The team stayed and was bought by the Haslams who are also part owners of the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Milwaukee Bucks.

The suit filed by the City of Cleveland says that “The Modell Law’s requirements are straightforward. It provides that if a team takes taxpayer money and plays in a tax-supported facility then the owner must either obtain the City’s authorization or give the City and the others the opportunity to purchase the team before moving the team away from that facility.”

In early August last year, the City of Cleveland offered the Browns a $1.2 billion proposal to renovate the Huntington Bank Field – the team’s current 67,431-seat stadium – and redevelop its surrounding property that would have included $461 million from the City. The City also offered a 30-year extension of the team’s lease.

The Browns have played on the shores of Lake Erie since their inception in 1946. Their new stadium was built in 1999 when they returned as an expansion franchise.

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