Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam provide update on where stadium plans currently stand

Prior to every season, Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam address the media and Saturday was the day for that to take place.

One topic of discussion was the future of the stadium that the Browns will play their games in. The two options currently stand as either a massive renovation to the current stadium on the lake or a new stadium with a dome in nearby Brook Park.

Dee admitted that a not-so-wide polling shows that fans prefer the new build in Brook Park. One of the other professional sports teams that the Haslam family owns has given them a feel of what a new stadium can do

“We just came off the MLS All-Star week down in Columbus at Lower.com Field stadium and we can see what a new facility again can do for the vibrancy of the city,” said Dee. “I mean it was an incredible three or four days in Columbus.”

The current stadium’s lease expires after the 2028 season, so an immediate decision does not have to be made. The Browns continue to meet with the local and state governments regarding funding and costs for the projects, which will obviously play a part in which the project happens.

“This is a big project, OK?,” Jimmy said. “No matter which direction we go into, it’s complicated. Anytime you have a public-private partnership, it’s not easy. We’re continuing to work through the process. We hope sooner rather than later we’ll have a solution. But I can assure you, we were on the phone for an hour this morning talking about various things that have to be solved and one solution or the other. We’ll continue to do so until we get to what we think is the right answer.”

Anyone who has been to Cleveland Browns Stadium knows that the build-up around the stadium is pretty much non-existent and parking is not the best. If a de was built in Brook Park, a budget would be included for the

“And if you ask what’s the right answer? The right answer is what is best for our fans? OK, that is driving 90% of the decision-making, what’s best for our fans. These are long, long-term decisions,” explained Jimmy. “This isn’t a five-year decision, a 10-year decision, it’s at least a 20-year decision, maybe more. So what is best for our fans will ultimately drive what we do.”

The Browns are approaching the 2024 season and that’s what the focus is primarily on. Still, the team is working behind the scenes to figure out the stadium situation. At this point, the Haslam family does not have a timeline for a decision.

“I don’t know that because there’s too many variables,” he said. “I can tell you we’re intensely focused. Hopefully it happens sooner rather than later. I don’t really want to commit and say exactly because there’s still a fair amount of variables.”

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