CLEVELAND — Twenty-four hours after Dee and Jimmy Haslam laid out a plan that had two proposals for a new stadium or a renovated stadium for the Cleveland Browns, it's clear they're saying, "It's time to play hardball."
What do they really want? If the Browns have their choice (and in the end, let's face it, it will be their choice), a new domed stadium is their pick. The Haslams' temperature of their remarks yesterday about the stadium issue seems to be, "Well, we could throw a billion dollars at Browns Stadium. We could give it a facelift." But it really doesn't come near what they really desire.
They want new. They want a multi-function venue — yes, a football palace, but so much more.
They want a facility that can be booked year-round. They want Browns playoff games, they want Taylor Swift to choose Cleveland for a stop on tour, they want the Final Four.
They want it all, and listening to them yesterday, I got the feeling they were saying downtown Cleveland just can't give that to them. It appears, in their view, the city instead should move to focus on developing the lakefront, and then fans should drive out to Brook Park on Sunday afternoons to and watch the Browns play.
The browns know what they want: The cost would be $2.5 billion for the new stadium, the 176 acres by Cleveland Hopkins Airport would be the site, the 2029 season is most comfortably when they would play there.
And the Browns have done their homework — they love the Minnesota Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium model.
It's a gem. They have toured it, they have studied it, and they would love to build it for the Browns to play it.
Downtown Cleveland takes a hit of this becomes reality, and it's looking like reality is closing in.
That's the Browns side of the issue. I think yesterday they were laying out kind of a consolation prize to the city of Cleveland about a $1 billion renovation. I think their message to the city was, "Geographically, folks, there's just no room to build what they want in downtown Cleveland."
Now, it's time for Cleveland to respond.