The Cleveland Browns held the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday for their Brook Park stadium project. The stadium is projected to open its doors in 2029, but its $600 million state grant is caught up in a legal battle.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine shared his backup plans for the funds stuck in court concerning the $2.6 billion project. 

“This is clearly going to go on for a while and I’m not happy about that. There’s nothing we can do about that, but we’re going to go ahead,” said Governor Mike DeWine to reporters after the ceremony. “It’s slow, certainly and we’re waiting, but I think eventually we’ll win. If we do not win, there’s another alternative.”

The class-action lawsuit against the $600M being used for the new Browns stadium is based on the claim that the fund violates constitutional prohibitions of using the Unclaimed Funds Account (legally still belonging to people) for government use. 

Speaking about the alternative, Governor DeWine proposed taxing sports gaming companies, which became legal in Ohio in 2023. These companies can be levied with a tax of 40% instead of 20%, removing dependency on state funds. 

Jeremy Pelzer, political reporter, shared that this 2x taxing would generate $288M more in the next two years, which can be used for stadium projects and youth sports. However, the number could be much higher as Ohio already expects $210M from sports g******* tax for the current year. 

Previously, State Senator Jerry Cirino had suggested that the Browns’ grant could come from Ohio's $4.8B store of unclaimed funds. He said the $600M would be a loan provided as a "performance grant."

As per Cirino's statement at the Ohio Statehouse, this loan would have to be repaid over the next 16 years through tax revenues (income tax + sales tax + commercial activity tax) generated by the stadium and its mixed-use development.

But for it to be set into motion, Governor Mike DeWine would need to be onboard with this plan. The governor's interaction with reporters made it clear that he believed the project must receive funding.

Of the total $2.6 billion that the project is expected to cost, the Haslam Group is covering $1.75-1.8 billion (plus overrun costs). Local funds (yet to be approved) amounting to $245 million are expected to cover the rest.

The Ohio Governor hopes to win this legal battle before his tenure ends in January and called his alternative a logical approach. He also called the Brook Park stadium a great win for the state of Ohio. 

HSG’s foreseeable future for the Brook Park project

Haslam Sports Group, which owns the Cleveland Browns, has said that the project, near to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, is one of northeast Ohio’s largest developmental projects. 

Speaking to beat writers after the soft groundbreaking last year, Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam emphasized their intent to deliver an unbelievable experience for their fans and Ohio residents.

“What we’re doing contributes to the growth and economic development of our state. So we’re really excited about what the stadium will mean for Northeast Ohio, not only for a game day, but for 365 days a year, attracting great events to Cleveland,” they stated.

The Browns say that they’re on target to have the facility ready for the 2029 NFL season. Hopes are high of also hosting a Super Bowl there one day.

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community!

Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit