Amid $3,400,000,000 Browns stadium drama, Cleveland Mayor takes shots at franchise

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb took aim at the Cleveland Browns as the NFL team is trying to get another stadium. Bibb has been the Mayor of Cleveland since January 2022.

The Browns are in talks to build their $3.4 billion mixed-use development with a stadium and entertainment district as centerpieces.

“While a downtown dome is ideal, financial and development constraints have been challenging; the Brook Park option is more practical to move forward,” they wrote in a release on May 20, via Beacon Journal. “The additional events, and expected growth in live entertainment, are an economic opportunity for the entire region."

As Cleveland is trying to get a new stadium built, Bibb took a shot at the team, saying the stadium and team are not the main priority of Cleveland.

“There are more important priorities than the Cleveland Browns,” Mayor Justin Bibb told the I-Team during an interview Tuesday.

Bibb says the main priority is rebuilding the lakefront as well as the $1.1 billion remake of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. So, if that means the Browns move elsewhere, Bibb doesn't seem to care.

“We gotta move on,” the mayor said. “If they go to Brook Park, God bless them, good luck. But, by hell or high water, we are going to develop a lakefront our residents can be proud of... But, it’s important that the city of Cleveland is not left empty-handed. That we don’t have an abandoned stadium downtown."

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has also expressed his concerns with the Browns' new stadium, which includes the idea of funding it with $600 million in state bonds.

NFL commissioner wants Browns to get new stadium

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is hopeful that the Browns get a new stadium, despite the comments from the Cleveland mayor.

Goodell met with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam to meet with Gov. Mike DeWine and other state leaders to discuss the Browns getting state funding to build a new stadium.

“All of the conversations have been incredibly positive. Tremendous leadership by the governor and leadership by (the General) Assembly,” Goodell told cleveland.com during a telephone interview between meetings in Columbus.

“We think this is a benefit not just to Brook Park. This is a benefit to the entire area, including downtown. People coming here for events will be staying downtown. They will be eating downtown.”

Goodell points out how important the Browns are to the NFL and the city of Cleveland. But, for now, it appears the city isn't interested in giving the Browns state money to build their new stadium.

The Browns have been in Cleveland since 1999.