Ohio governor says funding for Browns stadium project is ‘doable'
On Wednesday, team attorneys were in court for the first time, while Governor Mike DeWine in Cleveland said he believes financing for the project is doable.
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'If we could end up in a dome stadium in the state of Ohio, we do not have one, I think it's a very, very positive thing,' DeWine said. 'I think it's a very, very positive thing the Haslam family is willing to put a lot of their own money in.'
Last week, Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam spoke to the I-Team about investing more than a billion dollars in the project.
'You can't think of this as a stadium project, it's an economic development project,' Haslam said.
The Browns are also asking for public money, including $600 million from the state, bond money that would be paid back with profits from the project.
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While the governor likes the project, he wants a different plan for public money. Using a tax increase on sports gambling to help pay for the stadium.'I don't want to take the money from the general fund,' DeWine said. 'We can raise the tax, we still won't be the highest tax in the country, and we can generate $150 to $180 million every year to go into a fund for sports stadiums.'
Meanwhile, on Wednesday afternoon, only the I-Team rolled as lawyers walked into court. It was the first meeting on a lawsuit filed by the City of Cleveland trying to block the Browns from moving. Another hearing on the case is set for June.'We would like a decision on our lawsuit with respect to enforcing the Modell Law,' said Cleveland Law Director Mark Griffin. 'We would like to move it forward.'
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The Modell Law restricts professional sports teams from moving. And, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne said he wants the team to stay in Downtown Cleveland.
Ronayne sent a letter Monday to state Senate leaders requesting $350 million in state funds to renovate Huntington Bank Field, the current stadium for the Browns, even though the team is making plans to leave.
'We're not about not doing something,' Ronayne said. 'We are doing what is smart, and smart is coming back downtown and being on the lakefront.'
Ronayne said he has concerns that Browns officials are providing unrealistic projections.
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A report prepared by the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, at the request of a state senator, states some of the Haslam Sports Group's economic projections for a new enclosed stadium 'may be overly optimistic.' The Haslams disagree.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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