Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is invoking a state law to attempt to block the Browns’ owners from moving the team to Brook Park.
Named for Art Modell, the former owner who moved the team to Baltimore in 1996, the Modell Law requires Ohio owners whose teams play in taxpayer-funded stadiums to get permission to move from their home city or give six-month notice with a chance for the city or an investor “in the area” to offer to buy the team.
In a letter to Jimmy and Dee Haslam of the Haslam Sports Group, Bibb argued the owners did not yet provide the opportunity for anyone else to purchase the team as required by law.
But legal experts have told Ideastream Public Media the law is ambiguous, particularly the interpretation of what "in the area" means. Unlike the team's last out-of-state move, Brook Park is less than 20 miles from the current stadium.
The Haslams may be required to field offers to purchase the team, but they do not have to accept them.
The Modell Law may only delay the building of a $2.4 billion domed stadium by six months, as the law requires a six-month vacancy notice from owners to the city. The Browns estimate a three-year construction period.
In October, the Browns sued Cleveland in federal court, arguing the Modell Law was unconstitutional.
This isn't the first time the Haslams have dealt with the Modell Law — though last time, they were on the other end of things. In 2018, Jimmy Haslam and another investor purchased the Columbus Crew when the professional soccer team eyed a move to Austin, Texas.
But because the team did not move away, legal experts say the largely unused law's constitutionality and effectiveness remain in question.
The Browns’ lease on the lakefront, city-owned stadium is up in 2028. The Browns intend to open their Brook Park stadium in 2029.
