Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb isn't happy about the Browns' relocation to Brook Park
And while the Browns are very happy about the outcome, Cleveland is not.
'We are deeply disappointed that the final state budget includes both a $600 million public subsidy for a domed stadium in Brook Park and changes to Ohio's [Art] Modell Law — provisions we strongly opposed and requested be removed,' Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said Tuesday, via WKYC.com. 'Relocating the Browns will divert economic activity from downtown, create a competing entertainment district, and disrupt the momentum of our lakefront redevelopment.'
The change to the Art Modell Law allows Ohio teams to move within Ohio. Given that the Ohio legislature created the initial law after the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996, it seems that there's little room for Cleveland to fight the legislature's decision to change the law.
The planned use of unclaimed funds to pay the $600 million to the Browns may become a bigger impediment to the plan. A 2009 decision of the Ohio Supreme Court could provide the basis of a challenge to the plan to tap into the money for the purposes of funding the new stadium.
Put simply, 'unclaimed funds' are not abandoned. They remain the property of those who have not claimed them. The argument would be that those funds cannot be redistributed by the state for the purposes of building a new football stadium.
And so, even as the Browns declare victory and rush forward to make plans for selling season tickets to their new stadium, there's a chance that Ohio will have to scrap the plan to pay the $600 million via unclaimed funds and come up with an alternative approach.
The one approach that will never happen is to put the issue to the voters. When the voters have a chance to say whether their money will be used to subsidize the multibillionaire owners of sports teams, the response is usually, 'Hell no.'
As it arguably should be. With the values of NFL teams skyrocketing, why shouldn't NFL teams pay for their own stadiums? The habit of using public funds for such projects feels less like good governance and more like the misadventures of Dennis Moore.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
USA Gets Mexico In The Gold Cup Final Everyone Wanted: 'We Owe Them'
ST. LOUIS — U.S. men's national team defender Chris Richards didn't hesitate when asked if he wanted to face Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup final. It was only an hour after the U.S. had outlasted Guatemala 2-1 in Wednesday's semifinal. But Richards was upfront about wanting to face the Americans' historic nemesis in Sunday's grand finale in Houston (coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on FOX). Mexico was still locked in a scoreless battle with Honduras halfway across the country at that point. It would've been easy for Richards to hedge. He didn't. "Yeah," Richards said. "Yeah, I do." "We owe them a little something from the October camp," Richards added, alluding to Mexico's 2-0 win in Guadalajara last fall that snapped a seven-game winless run against the Americans. "We'll do it by winning a trophy." He and his USMNT teammates got their wish. Mexico went on to defeat Honduras 1-0 in Santa Clara, California, and advance to Sunday's championship. It promises to be a sold-out crowd of more than 70,000 mostly green-clad fans at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans. "Growing up seeing the USA-Mexico games, to be able to play in one would be unreal," said U.S. forward Diego Luna, a Mexican-American who scored both goals against Guatemala. The atmosphere on Sunday will be off the charts. But Wednesday's match was the ideal dress rehearsal for coach Mauricio Pochettino's squad, who were the home team only in name at Energizer Park. Most of the 22,000 there were rooting for the Guatemalans, who hadn't made it to the Gold Cup semifinal round in almost three decades. The noise inside the stadium was deafening for most of the contest. It made for an unforgettable spectacle, with the emotion from the stands spurring on both sides. "It's so intense," said St. Louis native Tim Ream, who captained his country for the 20th occasion on Wednesday, tying him with program legend Clint Dempsey for 11th on the all-time list. "It adds more to the game, adds more pressure." And for the most part, the Americans dealt with it well. Both of Luna's goals came inside the first 15 minutes of the contest, which helped take the air out of the building — at least for a while. But Los Chapines soon got their supporters back in the game and probably had the better of the play the rest of the way. "They had nothing to lose," said Ream. "They're down 2-0 after 15 minutes and they can go all-out, because they have to find a way back into the game." By the time it was over, the visitors had kept 51 percent of possession and out-shot the U.S. 20-12, finally beating keeper Matt Freese on Olger Escobar's strike that made the final 10 minutes excruciating for the USMNT backers in the house. Still, Pochettino's team found a way to survive. Those lessons could prove invaluable this weekend and, with the 2026 World Cup on home soil less than a year away, beyond. "This game tonight would be like the little brother to the U.S.-Mexico game," Richards said. "If they were a bit nervous for that one, the next line is going to be a lot bigger…it was really important for some of the younger guys to experience that." As grizzled Concacaf veterans, Ream and Richards weren't surprised that the U.S. was basically the away team at home. It's been the case for U.S. teams going back decades when they come up against rival countries where soccer is regarded as more religion than sport. It was a new experience for the many youngsters on this roster, which is missing about a dozen regulars this summer, including AC Milan star and USMNT headliner Christian Pulisic. "Growing up seeing the USA-Mexico games, to be able to play in one would be unreal" — U.S. men's team star Diego Luna But it surely surprised some of the youngsters. It was an eye-opener for Pochettino, too. "Unbelievable, the fans of Guatemala," the coach said. "It was an atmosphere that we did not expect." "That is Concacaf," Ream said. "You're playing in the heart of the heart of America and you have 95 percent Guatemalan fans. "You have to embrace it," he continued. "You have to enjoy it." Luna certainly did. "I loved it," he said. "That's what every game should be like." The next one will be several orders of magnitude bigger. But this young U.S. team has shown plenty of resilience in its last two games, including last Sunday's penalty shootout win over Costa Rica in the quarterfinals. And this squad has earned the right to play on the biggest stage there is in this corner of Planet Fútbol. Few would've predicted a U.S.-Mexico decider at the start of the tournament, which the Americans entered on the back of a four-match losing streak — their longest run of futility since 2007. Now they are just one more victory away from their eighth Gold Cup title. "We're onto a final, a final that I'd say a month ago, everyone basically counted us out of," Ream said. "Shame on them." Whether or not they prevail, the U.S. will be ready. "It's new for a lot of guys to play in environments like this – that's something we can build off," Luna said. "This is a great example for what's to come on Sunday." recommended Get more from Gold Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Browns QB Draws Baker Mayfield Comparison
Browns QB Draws Baker Mayfield Comparison originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Cleveland Browns have a host of quarterbacks this summer, and they hope that one can break through to become the starter under center in 2025. Advertisement Veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett will be battling it out with rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in training camp and the preseason. On a recent appearance on The Insiders, analyst Cameron Wolfe compared Pickett to a former Browns signal caller, Baker Mayfield. "[Kevin Stefanski] talked about Kenny Pickett and his talent, and feeling like they can develop more out of him, as well," Wolfe said on The Insiders. "We've seen in the past, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, sort of get a career resurgence, and there's a belief they can do some of that with Kevin Stefanski." Lance Reisland of brought up some questions about Pickett going back to when the Browns acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles via trade. Advertisement "The question surrounding Pickett was would he ascend into stardom or was he just a one-year wonder under the pass-happy Pittsburgh offensive coordinator, Mark Whipple," Reisland wrote. "The Steelers thought he would be a star, replace the legendary Ben Roethlisberger and keep Pittsburgh in the top tier of NFL teams. "That never came to fruition for either the Steelers or Pickett. In two seasons with Pittsburgh, Pickett threw for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions." Last season, Pickett appeared in five games with one start, and posted 25 completions for 291 yards, two touchdowns and one interceptions while with the Eagles. Related: Browns' Myles Garrett 'Trending Toward Best Season' in 2025 Related: Browns' QB Answer May Not Be On Current Roster This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Browns Draft-Day Decision Reinforced by Analyst
Browns Draft-Day Decision Reinforced by Analyst originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Cleveland Browns took a big risk in this year's NFL Draft and can only hope it pays dividends early. The Browns traded the No. 2 overall pick and the No. 104 overall pick in the fourth round and the No. 200 pick in the sixth round to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for the No. 5 pick, the No. 36 pick in the second round, the No. 126 pick and a 2026 first-round pick. Advertisement With that No. 5 pick, Cleveland selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, and the Jags took wideout/corner Travis Hunter at No. 2 - presumably who the Browns would've taken had they not traded the selection. Initial reaction to the trade was positive from most analysts. Now, with time to consider it further, Sam Monson still likes the trade for Cleveland, as he noted on the ˆ podcast. 'I still think the smart move is to pick up the extra first-round pick next year if for no other reason than you need the quarterback, not the guy who plays corner or wide receiver," Monson said. The Browns also took quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the third and fifth rounds, respectively. While they've got options now under center this summer, there are some who believe they'll use one of their first-round picks next season to go quarterback again. Advertisement Matt Miller of ESPN predicts that the Browns will run through the 2025 schedule and land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and decide to go a different direction at quarterback by selecting Clemson's Cade Klubnik with that pick. "Spending two picks on quarterbacks in 2025 -- Dillon Gabriel (third round) and Shedeur Sanders (fifth round) -- shouldn't prevent the Browns from looking for a long-term passer here," Miller wrote. "Klubnik enters the season as my No. 1 QB. In 2024, he threw for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions, highlighted by a gutsy performance against Texas in the College Football Playoff (336 passing yards, three TDs, one INT). "Klubnik reminds me of Baker Mayfield -- whom Cleveland selected with the No. 1 pick in 2018 -- in terms of arm strength, mobility and playmaking awareness." Related: Analyst Offers Revealing Take on Browns' Second-Round Pick Related: Browns' Myles Garrett 'Trending Toward Best Season' in 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
