Ohio native Jason Kelce and his younger brother, Travis Kelce, expressed a disappointing reaction to the Cleveland Browns’ proposed stadium at Brook Park. The NFL’s most loved sibling duo believes the owners, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, for moving away from the spirit of football with their $2.4 billion venture.
The Browns may be struggling to find a starting quarterback, but their owners are busy preparing to move their home turf from the Huntington Bank Field to the outskirts of Ohio.
According to News5 Cleveland, the location of the new stadium, “[The proposed new Cleveland Browns stadium property] is a former automotive plant site, which Ford Motor Co. sold to a group of industrial real estate developers in 2021. At that time, Ford put deed restrictions on the land that limited its uses to industrial or commercial development.”
The Browns released an animated video of the new stadium to spread excitement among the fans. Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce may not be die-hard supporters of the AFC North franchise, but they do have a soft corner for all Cleveland-based sports teams, as they hail from Cleveland Heights.
During the recent episode of their New Heights podcast, the Kelce brothers discussed the Browns’ new stadium. The retired Philadelphia Eagles center wasn’t happy with the Browns moving their home ground away from downtown Cleveland.
The stadium no longer being in downtown Cleveland… I don’t like that it’s not downtown. I don’t like that it’s indoors. Like, I don’t like anything about this. And I’m sorry.
Jason Kelce told his brother Travis Kelce
Travis agreed with his brother.
I just feel like downtown is a sports town. [Why not] just [build the new stadium in] downtown Cleveland? We love it being around. Do you at least agree that an indoor stadium is kind of going against the nature of living up there on the lake?
Travis Kelce said
Why doesn’t Jason Kelce like the idea of the Cleveland Browns building a new stadium?
The proposed new Cleveland Browns Stadium will have various upgrades compared to its current one. Currently, Huntington Bank Field doesn’t have a roof, so teams play games in the snow from December to February.
The new stadium is set to have a roof (unclear whether it’s retractable like the AT&T Stadium in Dallas); the stadium itself will be sunk about 80 feet into the ground with offices, a hotel, retail, apartments, and about 14,000 parking spaces, surrounded by lush green.
Jason Kelce took issue with the plan. The future Hall of Famer prefers the challenge of playing with the natural elements.
I like [it] when the [natural] elements play a role in [a football] game. I like [it] when snow is involved [during NFL matches]. We [Philadelphia Eagles] had an awesome playoff game—in the snow [at Lincoln Financial Field]—against the [Los Angeles] Rams. That wouldn’t have happened with an indoor stadium. I don’t like indoor stadiums .
Jason Kelce said
The game Jason mentioned is the 2024-25 divisional playoff game between the Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field. Kelce’s Eagles secured a 28-22 victory over their NFC opponents as Saquon Barkley rushed 26 times for 205 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.
Where will the money come from?
$2.4 billion is not a small amount. Even Clark Hunt would think twice before making such an investment. The details aren’t out yet, but sources do hint that the Haslam family plans to split the bills 50-50 with taxpayers of Cleveland.
However, that route is a dud at the moment because the amount is astronomical for the average Joe to contribute even if they get to see the Browns play inside a state-of-the-art stadium.
The Haslam family has until 2028 when the lease for Huntington Bank Field runs out. They plan on moving to Brook Park in 2029, but the stadium needs to be finished.
