Latest news with #HaslamSportsGroup
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Browns file new amended complaint in lawsuit over move to dome: I-Team
***Related coverage above: Legal bills show city cost of trying to keep Browns in Cleveland*** CLEVELAND (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team has found a new complaint filed in federal court by the Cleveland Browns against the city of Cleveland. The Browns are taking steps toward moving to a dome in Brook Park, and last year they filed suit asking federal court to throw out the Modell Law, an Ohio law that restricts sports teams from moving. The amended complaint was filed Monday in federal court. The amended complaint attacks the city while referring to the plan by the Haslam Sports Group, saying, 'The Haslams' proposal is a fiscally sound solution for the City that will keep the Browns in the heart of the greater metropolitan area for at least another fifty years. Instead of recognizing the benefits of the Haslams' proposal, the City seeks to hold the Browns hostage to its own failure of vision. Instead of a new domed facility that can drive significant economic activity year-round, the City insists on sticking with an aging, uncovered stadium that is used only a dozen or so times annually.' Legal bills show city cost of trying to keep Browns in Cleveland: I-Team Meanwhile, the city is pushing a lawsuit against the Browns in county court trying to block the team from moving. A hearing has been scheduled in that case next month. The Browns would not move until their lease at the current stadium runs out. The amended lawsuit also said, 'The Modell Law does not require a professional sports team or its owner to play in a facility without a lease agreement or to enter into a new lease agreement for a facility,' and, 'the Modell Law is plainly intended to prevent a team that is playing in a tax-supported facility from abandoning that facility during the term of the applicable lease.' Behind all of this, the I-Team has reported that the city of Cleveland legal bills in the court battles with the Browns have now topped more than $400,000. Teen boy dies after fall from Green Memorial Day parade float In the Browns amended complaint, they also ask the federal judge to make the city pay for the team's costs and legal fees fighting the Modell Law. The Browns plan to invest more than $1 billion in a dome and entertainment complex, but they are also asking for $600 million from the state. A decision on state funding is expected late next month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cavs, Guardians concerned about sin tax with Browns plan to build dome
CLEVELAND (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team has found the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Guardians now talking about more money for their stadiums. This comes in the midst of a firestorm over public funding to help the Browns build a dome in Brook Park. The Haslam Sports Group plans to spend more than $1 billion on the $2.4 billion project. The team is proposing a public, private partnership and asking for public money, including $600 million from the state. That's money the state would borrow in bonds and profits from the project would be used to pay back the bond debt. Council meeting about Cleveland Heights mayor turns contentious, ends abruptly A decision on that funding is expected in the next few weeks. State Senator Jerry Cirino told the I-Team that lawmakers are taking 'a careful and deliberate look at it.' Now, the owner of the Guardians and the group managing Rocket Arena are writing to local leaders about their concerns with the county sin tax. The I-Team obtained copies of the letters that were sent to the Greater Cleveland Partnership on May 21. 'As you are probably aware, the Sin Tax is an existing excise tax that is used by Cuyahoga County, through the Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater Cleveland, to fund major capital repairs on the publicly owned arena. In exchange, we make annual rent payments and fund capital repairs and maintenance expenses under S500K associated with the arena. Both the capital repair and lease payment responsibilities are dictated by the current lease we have in place with Gateway. This is all relevant because, as you may be aware, Sin Tax revenue has not kept up with the expenses it was originally intended to cover. Essentially, the county and the city are forced to rely on 1990 dollars to pay for 2025 expenses. In partnership with the city and the county, we have worked with the other professional sports teams in Cleveland, local business leaders, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, and the state of Ohio to improve the current Sin Tax mechanism so that it can become the sustainable source of funds it was originally intended to be,' the letter from Nic Barlage, Rock Entertainment Group CEO states. 'To be clear, these activities have been as transparent and inviting as possible to ensure the inclusion of all interested parties, while allowing for flexibility and thoughtful collaboration. We have worked hard to build consensus through a vision of mutual benefit rather than through pressure. 'Our approach was working. Policymakers locally and in Columbus acknowledged the value of our work and indicated support for allowing the people of Cuyahoga County to determine whether the Sin Tax should be updated to account for today's costs. 'Despite months of work toward achieving a solution that could accommodate venue needs well into the future, it has recently become clear that this positive momentum is at risk. The optimism conveyed in GCP's 'World-Class Stadiums and World-Class Waterfronts' statement obscures the complex political considerations involved with the Cleveland Browns' planned move to Brook Park and silences the impact of these considerations on the public-private efforts to modernize the Sin Tax. We believe, based on our engagement locally, that a Sin Tax modernization effort, which is intertwined with the Brook Park plan and strips local control from the decision-making process, undoing decades of precedent, is doomed to fail-leaving all worse off. Merging the issues of the future home of the Browns (which we have been and will remain neutral on) with the Sin Tax is not only problematic because it imperils our fundamental ability to modernize the Sin Tax through a ballot initiative, but also because (i) there is a clear lack of consensus among members on the issue, and (ii) a comprehensive and transparent discussion of the issues has not occurred with either the executive committee or the broader board. Given all of this, we are left with the unshakable impression that the interests of all GCP members are not equal, which belies the basic principles of partnership.' Guardians owner Paul Dolan also sent a similar letter outlining his concerns about the sin tax, which is a tax on beer, wine and cigarettes to help pay for major repairs to Cleveland sports stadiums. The letter from Dolan adds, 'we believe it is essential the future needs of Progressive Field are also prioritized.' Guardians pitcher Ben Lively out the rest of the season, needs surgery The Browns are not counting on the sin tax to help with construction of the enclosed stadium project in Brook Park, but the Browns have always been in favor of continuing the current approach that shares the Sin Tax proceeds across the three teams in the county. A spokeswoman with Cuyahoga County sent us the following statement: 'The sin tax covers capital repairs for all three stadiums. Money goes to Gateway for Progressive Field and The Rocket Arena and to the City of Cleveland Stadium Fund for the Browns Stadium. Our agreement is with the City of Cleveland and not the Browns. We collected $13,293,716.47 in 2024 from the sin tax. One-third went to the City of Cleveland for the benefit of the Browns. The other 2/3 benefits Gateway facilities (Progressive Field and Rocket Arena). Per Ohio Revised Code, sin tax can only be used to fund capital related items. All payments are made on behalf of capital repair expenditures or debt services related to those expenditures. ' Meanwhile, the letters we obtained about the sin tax come just months after another big investment in the ballpark and Rocket Arena. The city and the county were asked for an 'extra' $40 million. Money for major repairs that are separate from major renovations. Late last year, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne spoke of finding a better way to fund the sports stadiums long-term. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Fight continues as Browns plan to move from downtown, build indoor stadium
The Cleveland Browns say they're moving forward with their plan to build an indoor stadium in suburban Brook Park. Unsurprisingly, the public bickering around the team's planned exit from Cleveland continues. This week, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb told Cleveland's Fox 8 News that the city has 'more important priorities than the Cleveland Browns' and it has to 'move on. If they go to Brook Park, God bless them. Good luck.' Advertisement That led to Bibb's office releasing a formal statement clarifying that the city intends to fight to keep the Browns in downtown Cleveland despite the Haslam Sports Group's plan to build an indoor stadium in Brook Park, about 15 minutes southwest of the city and not far from the team's daily training facility in Berea. Mayor Bibb reinforces his commitment to protecting Cleveland taxpayers. — Office of Mayor Bibb (@CLEMayorsOffice) May 21, 2025 Team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have long explored options for a new stadium. For 18 months, they've been firm that they prefer to build an indoor facility over renovating the current Huntington Bank Field. The team's current stadium lease expires after the 2028 season. 'The Haslams are taking extreme measures to relocate the team away from downtown in an irreversible move that will negatively impact Cleveland and numerous small businesses that have stood by and supported their team,' Bibb said in the statement. Haslam Sports Group has pledged $1.2 billion in private investment, plus a promise to pay cost overruns for the Brook Park facility. With an estimated total price tag of $2.4 million, the Browns' plan is to ask for $600 million in bonds from both the state and Cuyahoga County, money that would eventually be repaid with tax revenues created by the Brook Park stadium project. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has a June 30 deadline to sign the state budget into law. The Ohio House passed its version of the budget last month, and it's now in the state Senate. DeWine had originally proposed doubling the state tax on sports betting to raise money for new stadiums instead of pledging $600 million in state bonds. In March, Jimmy Haslam said the Browns hoped to begin construction in early 2026 if the funding is approved next month. Last summer, the Browns formally rolled out drawings and plans for their new entertainment complex on the site of a former Ford plant. In a letter sent by Haslam Sports Group to Cuyahoga County executives earlier this month, the team essentially said it will move forward even without the county's support. Advertisement '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 Browns' letter said. There have been a lot of letters and statements amid other paperwork in this Browns versus Cleveland battle. The city and team also have dueling lawsuits over the Modell Law, with Cleveland maintaining the Browns would be in violation of the 1996 law named after former team owner Art Modell if they moved to Brook Park, and the Browns filing a challenge to that in federal court. In January, the city sued the Browns in an attempt to enforce the Modell Law, which requires a team that takes taxpayer money and plays in a tax-supported facility to either obtain the city's permission or allow it and others to purchase the team before moving away from that facility. The Browns maintain that the Modell Law would apply only if the team were trying to move out of state, as Modell did, and that the team holds the right to move freely once the current lease expires. The fight is not only over funding, but also how to best use the lakefront land on which the current stadium sits. There has been little new development around the stadium over three decades, and the Haslam Sports Group wants not only to hold more events year-round in Brook Park, but also to own the parking lots surrounding the new facility. In January, Bibb called the Brook Park project 'the Haslam scheme' and said it was a 'ploy' that would 'raise your taxes, make it more expensive for you to attend games and steal events away from downtown.' After the Greater Cleveland Partnership endorsed the Browns' plan to move forward with their Brook Park project, the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County released a joint statement saying they would no longer participate with the Greater Cleveland Partnership in meetings involving civic vision and development. 'No amount of money can account for the irreversible damage caused by the construction of an unneeded entertainment district that competes with downtown and suburban entertainment districts,' the statement said.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NFL Legend Charles Woodson Makes Major Personal Announcement
Despite growing up in Ohio, former defensive back Charles Woodson chose to attend the Michigan Wolverines, the rival of his home state. It turned out to be a tremendous decision for Woodson, who carried the success he found in Ann Arbor—including winning the Heisman Trophy in 1997—into a Hall of Fame NFL career. He was inducted in 2021 after an iconic career with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers from 1998 to 2015. Advertisement Despite all of his achievements, Woodson made a major personal announcement on Tuesday revealing that he has been approved at the league's meeting to become a limited partner in the Cleveland Browns' ownership group, aiming to make a significant impact in the state of Ohio. Woodson's statement read, "Growing up in Fremont, Ohio, it was a dream come true to play in the National Football League. In my wildest childhood dreams, I never considered the opportunity to become a limited partner of an NFL team, let alone the Cleveland Browns in my home state of Ohio. It is among my greatest honors to join the Haslam and Johnson families and the entire Haslam Sports Group to become a limited partner of the Cleveland Browns, one of the NFL's most storied franchises." The Browns posted Tuesday, "We're thrilled to welcome Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee, Super Bowl Champion and Ohio Native @CharlesWoodson as a limited partner to the ownership group for the Cleveland Browns." He'll join the Haslam Sports Group, which is led by Jimmy Haslam and his wife, Dee. Jimmy purchased the Browns in 2012 for approximately $1 billion, a team that was valued at around $977 million at the time, according to Forbes. Charles Woodson during Fox Sports media day at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Throughout his NFL career, Woodson was a nine-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, Super Bowl champion, and received numerous defensive awards over his 18 seasons in the league. Recently, he has served as an analyst for college football on "Big Noon Kickoff," and as of now, his role in that capacity remains unchanged. Related: A.J. Hawk and Charles Woodson Reveal What Sets the Michigan-Ohio State Rivalry Apart
NBC Sports
19-05-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Cuyahoga County executive accuses Haslam Sports Group of "greed and opportunism" in stadium effort
It appears that the Bengals and the Browns are in a competition to have the most contentious relationship possible with the counties where they currently play their home games. And they're both winning. Not to be outdone by the current hostilities between the Bengals and Hamilton County over a new lease at Paycor Stadium, the Browns are battling with Cuyahoga County over the team's determination to leave Cleveland for a domed stadium in Brook Park. The latest escalation came on Monday, when Cuyahoga County executive Chris Ronayne sent a letter to Haslam Sports Group accusing Browns ownership of 'greed and opportunism.' The one-page correspondence also says Jimmy Haslam and company are 'distorting the facts' and 'attempting to bully the public and fleece County taxpayers for [Haslam Sports Group's] private gain.' Ronayne accuses Browns ownership of 'pushing a costly, risky, and poorly conceived plan that uses public subsidy to diminish our region, our communities, and our businesses.' He calls the team's effort to build a $3.4 billion facility a 'boondoggle.' Last week, Haslam Sports Group COO Dave Jenkins sent a letter to Ronayne accusing him of 'communicating misleading information' about the Brook Park project and describing the opposition to the domed stadium 'truly disheartening.' The exchange of nastygrams comes at a time when the Browns are trying to secure $600 million in Ohio funding through the issuance of bonds. Separate from the funding fight is pending litigation between the Browns and the city of Cleveland regarding the application of Ohio's Art Modell Law to the team's effort to leave its downtown stadium. Even if both teams end up getting what they want, there's an ugliness to the process that is unhelpful and unbecoming to everyone involved. And while public unpleasantries are hardly unprecedented when it comes to stadium politics (e.g., the time the Browns left Cleveland 30 years ago), the two fronts of animosity in the Ohio cities that currently host NFL teams invite speculation as to one or both situations will eventually catch fire like the Cuyahoga River once did. A dozen times, apparently.
