The Haslam Sports Group and the city of Cleveland announced an agreement Monday that ends a monthslong legal battle and paves the way for the Browns to build a new domed stadium in suburban Brook Park.
The agreement includes a $100 million commitment from the Haslam Sports Group, which owns the team, to the city that will "accelerate the lakefront transformation and prepare the current lakefront stadium site for redevelopment and the City's commitment to support the continuing progress and timely completion of the Browns' future home in Brook Park," according to a joint news release.
As part of the agreement, both sides will "voluntarily dismiss all lawsuits with prejudice related to [the] Browns' move to Brook Park." The city will also "support the continuing progress and timely completion of transformational Brook Park stadium and mixed-use development."
"This $100M investment continues our lakefront momentum and economic resurgence," Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb said in a statement. "This Agreement puts the lakefront on the path to transformational development and the Browns on the path to a world-class facility in Brook Park. This is the right solution for the City and the region. Cleveland's time is now. We are a city that leads the region, that's open for business, and that knows how to get big things done."
In January, the city of Cleveland sued the Browns over the proposed move, seeking to invoke the "Modell Law." That state law says any professional sports owner who uses a tax-supported facility for home games and gets funding from the state or a political subdivision can't leave unless it gets permission to play elsewhere or gives six months' notice.
Last October, the Browns announced they informed the city of their intentions to build a $2.4 billion state-of-the-art stadium and entertainment complex in Brook Park -- which is in the same county but 15 miles south of Cleveland -- when their stadium lease with the city expires at the end of the 2028 NFL season.
In July, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a two-year, $60 billion budget that set aside $600 million in unclaimed funds for a new Browns stadium.
"Because of Mayor Bibb's leadership, and this monumental public-private partnership, we are accelerating the transformation of Cleveland's lakefront while delivering a new world-class stadium and mixed-use development in Brook Park. It's a win for the city, the region, and the fans," Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. "We will always be the Cleveland Browns, and this agreement reflects a continued commitment by the Haslam/Johnson family to strategically invest in City of Cleveland community programs, building on the family's consistent charitable giving across the region since taking leadership of the Cleveland Browns in 2013."