CLEVELAND — In a letter sent to Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam on Monday, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb stated the city intends to enforce a law that could prohibit the franchise from moving their stadium to Brook Park — a controversial proposal that has received push back from Cleveland leaders, council members and more. 

What You Need To Know

  • Bibb said he would enforce the Modell Law, which allows the city or residents to purchase the team before it plans to leave the area

  • The law also states the city must be given a six-month notice in advance to have an opportunity to buy the team

  • Bibb said the team has to respond by Jan. 9, 2025, and the city plans to take "appropriate legal action"

Bibb said he would enforce the Modell Law, which would give the city or residents an opportunity to purchase the team before it plans to leave to play in another location.

The move is the latest in the saga over the Browns stadium. In October, Bibb revealed the Browns owners had plans to leave their lakefront stadium with the ambition of building a domed stadium in Brook Park, which would be nearly 20 minutes south of where the team plays now. 

Part of the Modell Law is allowing the city six months advance notice with an opportunity to buy the team. In the letter, which was sent two months after the Browns challenged the Modell Law in federal court, Bibb wrote that the team has not provided an opportunity for the city or others to purchase the team, which is required by law. Bibb went on to say if the opportunity becomes available, the city plans to assemble a group of buyers or a single buyer from the area to purchase the team to prevent them from moving out of downtown. 

Bibb ended the letter with a deadline, saying the team had until Jan. 9, 2025, to respond to the letter. If the Browns don't respond or the team states that it doesn't plan to comply with the law, the city will take "appropriate legal action."

According to a report released by the City of Cleveland in November, moving the team out of Cleveland would cost the city $30 million a year, which includes the fees associated with the lease at Huntington Bank Field, spending at downtown bars and restaurants, admissions, hotels and more. However, a study led by the Browns stated that of the predicted $1.2 billion economic gains, around $200 million of that is spending that would happen outside of the Brook Park stadium and instead at places in Cleveland and across the county. 

The Browns haven't disclosed how they plan to pay for the estimated $2.4 billion Brook Park stadium. Initially, the Haslams said around $1.2 billion would come from taxpayers. Cuyahoga County leaders said they aren't chipping in. 

The full letter can be read below:

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