Cleveland City Council Holds First Hearing on Proposed Browns Deal, Demands Full Transparency Amid Tight Timeline

Oct 20, 2025

Cleveland City Council today held a special hearing to begin the legislative oversight process concerning the proposed agreement between the City of Cleveland and the Haslam Sports Group (HSG), which was announced last week by the Mayor and HSG. The deal would clear a path for the Browns to potentially move to Brook Park.

The proposed agreement must be approved legislatively by City Council before taking effect.

The Bibb administration, represented by Mayor Bibb, Law Director Griffin, and other senior members of the Mayor’s leadership team, presented initial details of the proposal to Council members.

“Today’s hearing was the first step in Council exercising its oversight responsibilities and learning about the proposed agreement before voting on it,” said City Council President Blaine A. Griffin. 
 

Understanding the Deal and Tight Timeline

The deal, as announced last week, would require HSG to make a $25 million payment to the City of Cleveland on December 1, or after Council approves the deal. Before the City can accept this payment, Council must approve the agreement. Council members focused on several key areas during the hearing, including:

How the deal was initiated and developed 
Who participated in the negotiations  
The merits and drawbacks of the proposed agreement  
How the city and taxpayers will be made whole 
The nature of proposed waterfront development 
"I appreciate the Council President for making today's hearing with the Mayor and his negotiating team a reality for us to learn more about the proposed deal. I also appreciate my council colleagues for their probing questions about the proposed deal. We have more questions than we have time,” Council Majority Leader Jasmin Santana said. “We’re going to have to work diligently to understand the economic impact and financial benefits of this proposal.”

Demand to See the Full Agreement and Rigorous Review and Approval Process

Councilmembers underscored that a thorough and transparent review process is essential before any vote is taken. Members also emphasized that today's session was a foundational step to gather information and was not a deliberation on the specific terms of the legislation.

“Today was about process, procedure, and transparency," said Council President Griffin. "We must ensure this agreement provides maximum compensation and benefits for the residents of Cleveland. Council must see the full, complete written agreement before it considers moving forward with any related legislation."

Council has committed to a process ensuring the city’s best interests are served in this transaction. Following today’s hearing, Council will begin a rigorous review of the full proposal. Proposed legislation to approve the agreement will be routed to the relevant Council committees for detailed presentations, public input, and the specific details, financing, and legal ramifications of the agreement. Cleveland City Council will only consider approving legislation approving this proposal after its committee process has concluded.  

Details and the meeting schedule will be announced in the near future.

Council requests the public's feedback by attending future committee meetings, completing a written public comment at www.ClevelandCityCouncil.gov/resources/public-comment, or by leaving a voicemail at (216) 714-3006.