Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024
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RUMORS APPEAR TO BE TRUE
Owners: Browns moving Bye-bye, lakefront; hello, Brook Park
1,500-2,000 turning out every day in Lorain County
Scott Petrak The Community Guide
BEREA — The game plan had been in place for months. The historic play was finally called this week. Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam informed Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb last week of their intention to leave the stadium in the city and move to Brook Park. Bibb announced the revelation a day later, 2½ hours before first pitch of Game 3 of the ALCS between the Guardians and Yankees at Progressive Field. The Browns followed with a statement explaining the decision. The team has played at the same lakefront site since it was founded in 1946, with the exception of 199698 after owner Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore. The Browns returned in 1999 to a new stadium on the same site. Their lease runs through the 2028 season, and the plan is to play in a state-of-the-art dome in Brook Park starting in 2029. “We recognize our season on the field has not had the start we all hoped for and are working hard to improve each week to make our fans proud,” the Haslams said in a statement, referencing the 1-5 start and four-game losing streak. “At the same time, it is critical that we remain committed to the best long-term, sustainable solution for our stadium and to providing the world-class dome expe-
Many vote early The Community Guide
PHOTO PROVIDED
This is an architect’s rendering of what the new stadium could look like.
rience our fans deserve. “We are confident that the Brook Park project will significantly benefit the Northeast Ohio region for generations to come.” For several months the organization has favored a moved to the suburb near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. They have an option to purchase 176 acres at the former Ford plant on Snow Road. Bibb called the decision “frustrating and profoundly disheartening.” “They had the opportunity to reinvest in Cleveland, transform the current stadium into a world-class facility, enhance the fan experience and remain highly profitable,” he said. “We put those options on the table in good faith, but unfortunately that was not enough.”
He voiced his concern for the downtown hotels, restaurants and bars who rely on Browns home games and said a study estimated the move will have a negative impact of $30 million annually. The Browns have studied stadium options for seven years. They originally planned a major renovation to the lakefront stadium at an estimated cost of $1.1 billion, with half the money coming from public sources. Their attention shifted to a dome in Brook Park several months ago while keeping the renovation as an option and continuing discussions with the city of Cleveland. The Haslams determined a renovation “will simply not solve many operational issues and would be a shortterm approach.”
Sherrod wants Browns to stay Following the announcement that the Cleveland Browns plan to move from Downtown Cleveland to Brook Park, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown called on his opponent, Bernie Moreno, to “put politics aside” and encourage owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam, who have donated to his campaign and have hosted a fundraiser for him at their lakfront mansion – to keep the team in Cleveland. A week ago today, both the Browns and Cleveland city leaders confirmed that the team had pulled out of a $1.2 billion plan to renovate the current stadium in favor of moving the team’s home. “I know that, overwhelmingly, people want them to stay in Cleveland but greedy billionaire sports owners think they can do whatever they want, and put their hand out and get more help from the public,” Brown said. “I call on the family, the Haslam family, to keep the Browns in Cleveland. I encourage my opponent to put politics aside and join me in encouraging the Haslams to stay there in Cleveland. My opponent has gotten a lot of money from them. He’s very close to the family. He’s got connections to the family with these billionaires. They should listen to him and keep the team in Cleveland, period,” Brown said. – wire reports
Players chastise fans who cheered Watson injury Scott Petrak The Community Guide
CLEVELAND — The injury was devastating. The reaction infuriating. That was the opinion of several Browns players after many in the crowd at Huntington Bank Field cheered when quarterback Deshaun Watson was injured Sunday during the 21-14 loss to the Bengals. His right Achilles is believed to have torn, with the team awaiting tests today to confirm the preliminary diagnosis. “Whether it’s an opponent that goes down or one of our own, we don’t boo the guys that are injured
on the field, especially with the extent with the cart comes out,” defensive end Myles Garrett said. “We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house. “But we need to do better. We need to do better on the football field and we need to do better as fans for having some empathy for a man who’s doing the best he can
and did the best he can up to this point.” Watson went down without being touched as he started a quarterback sneak. As he stayed down and put both hands on his helmet, loud cheers followed. He was carted off the field after being surrounded by everyone off the Browns sideline. “I don’t think it’s ever OK to cheer when someone’s injured,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I’m sure it’s not every person in that building doing that, but that’s disappointing.” Watson has been a polarizing figure since the Browns traded for him in 2022 after he had been
accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and misconduct during massage therapy sessions. He was suspended for the first 11 games in 2022 for violating the NFL personal conduct policy and limited to six games again last year by shoulder injuries. He was off to a rough start this season, with many fans and analysts calling for him to be benched. The Browns traded a net of five draft picks to the Texans to get him and gave him a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract. The move is considered one of the worst in professional sports history, and the Browns are on the See CHASTISE, A2
Between 1,500 and 2,000 people are voting early each day at the Lorain County Board of Elections in the run-up to Election Day, the board announced last week. Early, in-person voting opened Oct. 8. Since then, the Board of Elections has seen “a steady stream of voters casting their ballots early,” Director Paul Adams said in a news release. “While there are occasional lines, especially during the lunch hour and when some people get off work, the lines are moving fast,” Adams said. As of 5 p.m. last Thursday, 25,425 unaffiliated voters, 10,259 Democrats, and 10,176 Republicans had either voted early or requested ballots, according to the Board of Elections. The largest numbers were in Lorain (6,718 total); North Ridgeville (6,491 total); Elyria (6,205); Avon Lake (5,722); and Avon (5,011). The lowest early turnout and numbers of mail-in ballot application requests so far have been in Rochester / Rochester Township (77); Huntington Township (130); Brighton Township (133); South Amherst (191); and Camden Township/Kipton (198). The board can track early voters’ affiliations with its computer system, which tells officials if a voter cast a ballot in a partisan primary in the recent past. Adams said the Board of Elections had received more than 32,000 requests for ballots. To be counted, such mail-in ballots must be returned to the Board of Elections postmarked no later than Nov. 4. Or, voters can drop off their ballot using the drive-thru option.
INSIDE THIS WEEK Hurricane help
Local farmers head to N.C. A3
Rock Hall inductions Cher and friends light up Cleveland. A5
Oberlin
OC adds seven majors. A4
SPORTS A6 • CROSSWORD A7 • SUDOKU A7 • KID SCOOP A8