Wednesday’s episode of the “Today in Ohio,” news podcastdissected the Cleveland Browns recent legal maneuvering as more about messaging than court argument, with team owners desperate for fans not to see a Brook Park stadium as a move out of Cleveland.
The team is doubling down on the argument that moving to Brook Park wouldn’t trigger Ohio’s Modell Law, which prevents pro teams from leaving their host cities.
“They wanted to make clear that really they’re still in Greater Cleveland. So the Modell Law does not apply because they’re not trying to move out of state, basically,” explained Laura Johnston on the podcast. “It tried to show that this is different than when Art Model moved the team to Baltimore in the 90s... They’re just moving just outside the city limits, not 375 miles away.”
The Browns simultaneously sent a message to fans reiterating their position. Johnston noted the communication argues that the Browns were want to relieve Cleveland of any expense to update the current stadium.
This legal maneuver appears to be more about messaging than introducing new legal arguments. As host Chris Quinn observed, “I’ve said from the beginning, I don’t think this Art Model law is constitutional. I think once this gets to the adjudication process, it’s going to get tossed.”
Quinn purpose of the Browns' latest legal move: “I have said along, though, that if there’s no publicity about this new stadium in the media for about six, eight weeks, they create something. And maybe that’s what this is.”
The Modell Law, named after former Browns owner Art Modell who infamously moved the team to Baltimore, was designed to prevent teams from abandoning Ohio cities without giving local governments the opportunity to purchase the team. The Browns argue that relocating just outside Cleveland’s boundaries to Brook Park is fundamentally different from Modell’s cross-state move.
The city continues to fight the Browns on two legal fronts, with lawsuits in both common pleas and federal court. The Browns prefer the federal case to proceed, while the city favors the common pleas route, which isn’t as far along in the process.
Timing is increasingly critical for the Browns, who say they need to break ground next year to have the new stadium ready for the 2029 season.
Want to hear the full discussion about the Browns' stadium legal battle and get expert analysis on what might happen next? Listen to the full episode of Today in Ohio, where cleveland.com’s journalists break down the most important Northeast Ohio news stories every weekday.
Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from Today in Ohio, a news podcast discussion by cleveland.com editors. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.
Listen to full “Today in Ohio” episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with impact editor Leila Atassi and content director Laura Johnston.