Latest news with #HaslamFamily
Reuters
22-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Browns owners moving forward with plan for domed stadium
May 22 - The Cleveland Browns' plan to leave downtown and build a $2.4 billion domed stadium in suburban Brook Park has turned into a public spat with Cleveland's mayor. The NFL team's owners, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, have not wavered for 18 months in choosing a new, indoor stadium as part of a larger, mixed-use development rather than renovating Huntington Bank Field. They view the latter option of pouring more than $1 billion into renovating the stadium -- where the team's lease expires after the 2028 season -- as a "short-term fix." Earlier this week, Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb said, "There are more important priorities than the Cleveland Browns," in an interview with Fox 8 News and noted redeveloping the lakefront area and upgrading Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. "If they go to Brook Park, God bless them. Good luck," Bibb told the Cleveland TV station. On Wednesday, however, Bibb issued a statement on social media that "reinforces his commitment to protecting Cleveland taxpayers," while calling the future of the Browns' stadium on the lakefront "a critical issue for Cleveland now and for generations to come." "Right now, the Haslams are taking extreme measures to relocate the team away from downtown -- an irreversible move that will negatively impact Cleveland and numerous small businesses that have stood by and supported their team for years through thick and thin," Bibb said in the statement. "Let's not forget, the Haslams previously committed to staying downtown as well." The Haslam Sports Group is prepared to finance a portion of the Brook Park facility, including $1.2 billion in private investment and a pledge to cover cost overruns, The Athletic reported. Brook Park is 20-plus miles southwest of Cleveland. The financing is leveraged against $600 million in bonds from both the state of Ohio and Cuyahoga County. That amount would be recouped with tax revenues created by the new project. The Ohio state Senate is considering the state budget after the Ohio House passed its version. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has until June 30 to sign the budget into law. Jimmy Haslam said in March that if funding is approved in June, the Browns hope to begin construction in early 2026. With plans underway for the stadium and entertainment complex in Brook Park, the Haslam Sports Group last month sent a letter to Cuyahoga County executives, The Athletic reported. "Renovating the (current) stadium and putting more than $1 billion into a short-term fix that would present the same dilemma 15 to 20 years from now is neither a strategic nor a fiscally responsible long-term approach," the letter said. The Browns and the city of Cleveland are battling on numerous fronts, including a lawsuit filed in January saying the team would violate the Modell Law if it moves. The law is named for former team owner Art Modell, who moved the Browns franchise to Baltimore and they became the Ravens in 1996. The law requires teams using taxpayer funding and playing in a tax-supported facility to obtain the city's approval or allow the city and others to buy the franchise before it moves from the facility. The Browns filed a challenge, saying the law only applies to teams trying to move out of Ohio, not within the state, and that the team can move with the expiration of the current lease. "I am fully committed to protecting our taxpayers, our downtown economy, and our treasured lakefront," Bibb said in his statement on Wednesday. "I will do everything in my power to keep the Browns where they belong -- in downtown Cleveland -- and will continue to fight for what is in the best interest of our residents." --Field Level Media
Associated Press
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Hall of Famer Charles Woodson joins Browns' ownership group as a limited partner
CLEVELAND (AP) — Former NFL great and Ohio native Charles Woodson has joined the Cleveland Browns as a limited partner, the club announced Tuesday. The non-controlling minority interests were approved at the league's spring meetings in Eagan, Minnesota. Jimmy and Dee Haslam are majority owners. 'Charles has left an incredible legacy on the field, forever engraving himself as one of the greatest collegiate and NFL players of all time, but the work he's continued to do off the field and his entrepreneurial spirit emphasized what a great fit he is for our organization,' the Haslams said in a statement. Woodson won the 1997 Heisman Trophy at Michigan, played 18 years in the NFL for the Raiders and Packers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He is an NFL analyst for Fox Sports and lives in Orlando, Florida, where he is an assistant on his son's high school football team. He also works in the wine and spirits business. Woodson, who grew up in Fremont, Ohio, said it was a dream come true to play in the NFL but he never expected to be part of an ownership group. 'Over the last year, I've enjoyed getting to know the leadership team at the Browns and I'm excited about the opportunity to be a part of the bright future for this team and to help be a resource for the entire organization as well as the NFL,' he said. ___ AP NFL:
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Super Bowl winner Charles Woodson turned NFL analyst set to follow Tom Brady in controversial ownership deal
Hall of Famer Charles Woodson is set to buy a minority stake in an NFL franchise, though he'll have to adhere to similar restrictions as Tom Brady amid his Raiders investment. Woodson is planning to purchase a 0.1 percent stake in the Browns from the Haslam family, The Athletic has reported. However, Woodson - a Fox Sports analyst for the last three years - will now see his on-air affected by his ownership, as Brady does by his involvement with the Raiders. The seven-time Super Bowl winner, who agreed to a post-retirement deal with Fox Sports in 2022 before reaching an agreement with the Raiders a year later (he wasn't officially approved by owners until October 2024), is not allowed to attend production meetings or be at team facilities. He is also banned from criticizing teams or referees on air, in his role as Fox's No. 1 game analyst.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Hall of Famer Charles Woodson to buy small stake in Cleveland Browns: Source
An Ohio-born Hall of Famer is set to purchase a small stake in the Cleveland Browns. Charles Woodson plans to purchase a 0.1 percent stake in the Browns from the Haslam family, a league source told The Athletic on Thursday. Jimmy and Dee Haslam have owned the Browns since 2012. Woodson, 48, has spent the last three seasons working as an analyst for Fox after an 18-year playing career that led to his induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. The sale is contingent upon Woodson agreeing to similar broadcasting restrictions to Raiders owner Tom Brady. Going forward, he will also remove his name, image and likeness on packaging for his wine and whiskey businesses, as it violates the NFL's alcohol policy. Given the skyrocketing value of NFL franchises, Woodson will own just a tiny stake, but he brings major name recognition in the football world. Woodson is from Fremont, Ohio, about 80 miles west of Cleveland. He was Ohio's Mr. Football in 1994 before embarking upon his Heisman Trophy-winning career at Michigan. He's considered one of the greatest players in the rich history of Ohio high school football and is Ohio's only Mr. Football enshrined in Canton's Hall of Fame.
