The Cleveland Browns, just like in 1996, are officially leaving the city again.
It’s not as dramatic as I had to make the lede sound, but the Browns are leaving Cleveland. To move 20 minutes outside of the downtown area to the suburb of Brook Park.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine officially signed the Ohio State Budget last night, and a part of that signed budget was a $600 million allocation to the Browns to help fund the construction of a new stadium. The Browns already own the Brook Park property near the Cleveland Hopkins Airport, and the drawings and architectural design have already been completed as well.
The city has lost the battle to keep the Browns in downtown Cleveland.
The Browns will still play at the current Huntington Bank Stadium location through the 2028 season, so they still have four more years left on their lease downtown. This gives the Haslam Sports Group a pretty quick window to get the new dome constructed and ready for the 2029 season.
Maybe the Browns will even have a franchise quarterback by then.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: The Browns are officially leaving Cleveland again
Reporting by Cory Kinnan, Browns Wire / Browns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
