The Buffalo Bills will mark the start of their final season in their current stadium on Sunday while the finishing touches are put on the new Highmark Stadium, scheduled to open in 2026.
In Nashville, the Tennessee Titans are courting prospective ticket buyers for the new Nissan Stadium, which is set to open in 2027.
Meanwhile, in Cleveland, Haslam Sports Group continues to face lawsuits and other challenges to its plan for the Cleveland Browns to play in a domed stadium in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park in 2029.
Tuesday was reportedly the deadline for team ownership to appeal the decision from the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation to deny a permit application because the proposed stadium is 58 feet too tall. That is an issue because the proposed site is located next to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, which prefers to have its planes take off and land safely.
But, it turns out that the deadline was not really a deadline in the strict sense, because team officials have still not received a certified copy of ODOT’s denial, according to cleveland.com.
No one involved knows what happened - maybe the ODOT mail clerk never sent the notice out, or perhaps it is lost somewhere in the postal system - but for now, there is no deadline to meet, and “everyone is involved in the conversation toward a resolution,” as ODOT spokesman Matt Bruning told cleveland.com.
So while an intern at Browns HQ waits patiently for the daily mail, the Browns and the City of Cleveland have to deal with a new lawsuit, this time from former Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich.
One of the tactics city leaders have used in an attempt to keep the Browns in downtown Cleveland is the so-called Modell Law, which sets out a series of hurdles that pro sports teams in Ohio have to clear if they wish to move.
Turns out, Kucinich wrote the law and is unhappy about how things are currently playing out between the city and the Browns.
To cap it off, Kucinich also wants to be given the authority to enforce the terms of the Modell Law, including being the person who takes in any offer to buy the team.
Talk about one of those “only in Cleveland” moments!