Ohio attorney general speaks out on Browns dome legal fight: I-Team
CLEVELAND (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team on Tuesday, pressed the Ohio Attorney General on the legal fight over the Cleveland Browns moving to a dome in Brook Park.
Attorney General Dave Yost has joined the city of Cleveland in trying to keep the Browns on the lakefront.
We asked direct questions to hear what we haven't heard before about the efforts to enforce the so-called Modell Law — a state law that restricts sports teams from moving.
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'I know the AG's office has intervened in that Modell lawsuit. Can you explain why you felt it was important to do that?' I-Team reporter Peggy Gallek asked.
'My job as chief legal officer is to make sure our laws are upheld,' Yost answered.
The Browns plan to build a dome in Brook Park. They don't plan to move out of their stadium until the end of their lease, so they believe they should be free to go.
'What about the argument that the Browns are leaving at the end of their lease?' I-Team reporter Ed Gallek asked.'Well, hogwash,' Yost responded. 'The end of the lease is an argument that will be raised and talked about in court. I don't think that that fundamentally changes the application. The law doesn't say anything about a lease.'
The lease for the Browns ends after the 2028 season. So, the legal fight going on now will decide what happens after that.
We've shown you that fans are divided over what's best: Staying in the stadium or playing in a dome.
We also asked the attorney general about another legal argument the Browns are making about ownership of the team.
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Under the Modell Law, if a team wants to move, the city must have a chance to first find new owners. But in this lawsuit, the Browns point out that NFL owners would have to approve the sale of the team. So, what about that?
'How can a law say your league can't operate the way it does?' we asked the attorney general.
'You got it backwards. The law governs how people do business,' Yost said.
Lawsuits have been filed in state and federal court. As of late Tuesday, we saw no new filings made or court dates set.
But, now you get a glimpse of how the attorney general sees it. He left us with one thought for both sides and fans to remember through all of this.
'That's why we've got judges,' he said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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