CLEVELAND — And now, it's official: The 2021 NFL Draft will be right smack in the middle of downtown Cleveland.
The NFL gave the Browns and Cleveland the nod over Denver and Kansas City. Wednesday is the payoff for three years of work by the Haslams and the city.
That work didn't always get the wanted result. We finished out of the money for the last two drafts available: Nashville and Las Vegas next year. But the third time was indeed a charm, the charm is excitement, exposure, and lots of money.
It's a big, big deal to our area," Jimmy Haslam said on Wednesday. "One of the founding areas of the NFL and we look forward to hosting the draft."
Let's talk numbers: Nashville just hosted the draft four weeks ago. 600,000 fans attended and there was $133 million dollars of direct spending. The city is feeling $224 million dollars worth of economic impact.
WATCH: Jim Donovan and Dave "Dino" DeNatale react to the NFL awarding the draft in 2021 to Cleveland on the Donovan Live Postgame Show:
As Jimmy Haslam pointed out, the history of football and the Browns in the NFL is beyond comparison. And remember, by the year 2021, the franchise may have re-written history because the Browns are on the brink of greatness on the field.
My how things have turned!
The whole country is going to get a taste of what football means in Cleveland. In draft language, we're on the clock, but in a great way.
WATCH: Jim Donovan talked with Kevin Kleps of Crain's Cleveland Business about the economic impact of the NFL Draft coming to Cleveland.
