Last week at Cleveland City Hall, Cleveland City Councilman Brian Kazy held a press conference to introduce city legislation to invoke the “Art Modell Law”. This happened shortly after Cleveland Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam stated at the Annual NFL Owners Meetings that he two options for the future of Cleveland Browns Stadium is to remodel the current stadium or build a new dome in the suburbs. This statement elicited emotional reactions from Browns fans. And what Councilman Kazy did last week was more harm than good for the situation.

We first must understand what the “Art Modell Law” is. The law was passed by the Ohio State Legislature 1996 after Art Modell moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore Maryland.  The law forces any Ohio sports franchise before relocating to give 6-month notice and offer the team up for sale. If the team does relocate the city’s mayor and city council must approve of the move. Anyone with any common sense would understand the spirit of the law. The law’s purpose was to prevent teams from leaving the market of the city and not the city itself. If the Browns play their home games in Brook Park Ohio, they will still be called the Cleveland Browns. And they will be located a mere 11 miles from downtown Cleveland. This is not the same as 1995 Art Modell. It’s not even close. What Councilman Kazy did was a shortsighted political stunt.

Cleveland Councilman Brian Kazy is not involved in the current negotiations between the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland Browns. Anyone with business sense will tell you to never publicly discuss ongoing negotiations. This is because negotiations can be messy. Any public comments can be overblown and taken out of context. Also, keep in mind the Haslam family leveraged the Art Modell Law to purchase the Columbus Crew in 2019. All parties involved are aware of the law. What happened last week with Councilman Kazy was an amateur political posturing while totally missing the big picture.

Honestly ask yourself this, does it make economic sense to have an 80,000-seat outdoor football only stadium sitting empty on a lakefront 350 days a year? Councilman Kazy must think that because that is what he is trying keep in Cleveland. Could that land be put to better economic use while the Browns play in a new dome stadium? Could the Haslam family help the City of Cleveland develop the lakefront for economic growth while having the team play in Brook Park Ohio? Could a mutually beneficial compromise be accomplished and residents from both Cleveland and Brook Park benefit from it? We might never know as long as politicians like Brian Kazy get their airtime and 15 minutes of fame.