CLEVELAND — The Haslam Sports Group, which owns the Cleveland Browns, issued a statement Thursday confirming that it is looking at stadium options outside of the current Downtown Cleveland location.
Read the full statement from Haslam Sports Group Spokesperson Peter John-Baptiste below:
"We've been clear on how complex future stadium planning can be. One certainty is our commitment to greatly improving our fan experience while also creating a transformative and lasting impact to benefit all of Northeast Ohio. We understand the magnitude of opportunity with a stadium project intent on driving more large-scale events to our region and are methodically looking at every possibility. We appreciate the collaborative process with the City of Cleveland and the leadership of Mayor Bibb in analyzing the landbridge and renovating the current stadium. At the same time, as part of our comprehensive planning efforts, we are also studying other potential stadium options in Northeast Ohio at various additional sites. There is still plenty of work to do and diligence to process before a long term stadium solution is determined and will share further updates at the appropriate time."
A statement from #Browns/Haslam Sports Group Spokesperson Peter John-Baptiste on future stadium planning: pic.twitter.com/xRfOdROLDg
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) February 8, 2024
Regarding the landbridge mentioned in John-Baptiste's statement, the team has been asking for it for years. It's something that's currently being looked at by the city. The Haslam Sports Group has already helped fund a study of proposals for Downtown revitalization by providing the $5 million to get the planning and engineering started.
Two years ago, the Haslam Sports Group said it wanted to create a major destination that Clevelanders and visitors to the city could take advantage of, and the vision for the area relied on that land bridge.
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“A significant stadium renovation at our current site is the premise of the study as well as a focus on how to provide accessibility to the lakefront, drive density, and create 365-destination major development opportunities that would include new public parks, retail, office, experiential and residential spaces. The vision, as many in our community have already seen, is centered on an extensive land bridge," the Haslam Sports Group said in 2022.
Today's statement from the Browns followed an NEO-Trans.blog post that said the Browns were in the process of buying land outside of Downtown.
Should the Browns move out of Cleveland and into a new location, a new stadium could mean new features that the current location does not have—the biggest being a dome. The Browns have been contemplating all of their options for a potential new stadium, and coverage that would allow the stadium to be multi-purpose year-round is one of those options.
Thursday afternoon, the City of Cleveland issued its own statement reassuring fans that it is committed to keeping Browns Stadium Downtown and bringing more visitors to the lakeshore with its North Coast Lakefront plan. This plan includes increased access to the stadium and entertainment options, something the city has already invested millions of dollars in.
You can read the full statement issued by Cleveland Chief of Staff Bradford Davy below:
“Keeping the Browns at home on the downtown Cleveland lakefront is a priority for Mayor Bibb and City leadership. We understand and respect how complex this process is and appreciate the partnership we’ve had and will continue to have with the Browns and Haslam Sports Group (HSG).
The administration has developed a strong, thoughtful and comprehensive package that we believe respects taxpayers and protects the city’s general revenue fund while meeting the needs expressed by the team. This has been shared with the HSG team during our extensive negotiations over the last 8 months. We continue to meet with their team to refine our terms and come to a shared vision and acceptable deal for both parties that improves the experience for residents, sports fans and visitors. The success of our collaboration and commitment on this topic has been recently demonstrated through yesterday’s $20M earmark which advances our shared goal of improving lakefront access to the stadium for everyone.
The experience of Cleveland residents and visitors to our city is top of mind for us and we are committed to developing our North Coast Lakefront into a world-class, well-programmed, people-focused space and we see the activation of Browns Stadium as a key part of that vision. The mayor's commitment to a vibrant shore-to-core-to-shore plan for Cleveland is steadfast and gaining momentum. Downtown Cleveland is such an integral part of the game day experience and the transformational changes on the horizon promise to make that experience even better.
Go Browns!”
Dan Tierney, press secretary for Gov. Mike DeWine, provided News 5 with a statement Friday afternoon:
"The Governor and First Lady did meet with Jimmy and Dee Haslam in December prior to the Browns vs. Bears game. Commissioner Goodell was also there. Among the topics the Governor, the Haslams, and the Commissioner discussed were different potential options in regard to renovating Cleveland Browns Stadium versus building a new stadium.
Governor DeWine has previously emphasized the importance of the Browns to the City of Cleveland, the region, and the State of Ohio. Having professional sports is important to the quality of life for our citizens and the role that plays in economic development. There are numerous examples where local communities have coalesced behind plans for local sports facilities and then have subsequently worked with the State and the General Assembly for support. We look forward to further discussions with the parties involved as they pursue any future plans for the Browns."
Meanwhile, Brook Park Mayor Edward Orcutt said there's nothing he can comment on about the purchasing of land with the developers because he's not part of those conversations, noting the city wouldn't know who would be moving into the property upfront.
He has, however, been receiving plenty of calls about the subject—and for now, says there's "nothing imminent" about a potential Browns move into Brook Park.
"After the blog post went viral, obviously we were very inundated with calls, text messages, emails. Same with our city council members. And the only thing I can report is that there’s nothing imminent about the Cleveland Browns coming to Brook Park," Orcutt said. "We operate on revenue. Revenue is made, generally, by income tax here in the city. We concentrate on that, and we would always welcome the opportunity for good business here. If it fits, that’s good."
RELATED: Browns' owners offer vision for North Coast Harbor with connecting land bridge to Downtown
You can watch more about the land bridge in the player below:
