Jason and Travis Kelce publicly criticized the Cleveland Browns‘ proposal to relocate from their downtown stadium to a new indoor facility in Brook Park.
On their popular “New Heights” podcast, Jason Kelce described the plan as “something really stupid out in Brook Park that they’re trying to get everybody excited about.” The Kelce brothers are Northeast Ohio natives and grew up Browns fans.
Jason Kelce said he’s a fan of the stadium’s current location downtown and would rather play in a dilapidated facility than what the franchise has planned.
Travis Kelce echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that “every sports town feels better when [the stadium] is in downtown.” Both brothers also opposed the idea of an indoor stadium.
“I like when the elements play a role in the game. I like it when snow is involved,” Jason Kelce said.
Browns Stadium Debate Has Been Contentious
The Kelce brothers are not the only ones who have opposed the proposed move. The Haslam Sports Group, which owns the Browns, is seeking public funding to help finance the 2.4 billion stadium and surrounding development in Brook Park.
The Haslams and their partners have pledged $2 billion in private investment toward the project’s estimated $3.4 billion price tag. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has said it may come down to Ohio lawmakers approving $600 million in funding to support the project. A vote is expected in June.
But opponents argue the relocation would hurt the city’s economy and disconnect the franchise from its roots. The City of Cleveland has filed a lawsuit to block the potential move, invoking Ohio’s “Modell Law,” which prevents publicly funded teams from relocating without city approval or proper notice. The Browns have said renovations to the current stadium, Huntington Bank Field, remain a backup option if the Brook Park project falls through.
“The stadium, we’re actually really excited about,” Haslam said this week at the NFL Annual Meeting in Florida, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “I think you all have heard me say on numerous occasions, when you try to build a stadium and it’s a combination of private and public money, it’s going to be a challenging process. This has been challenging. It’s been a little bit of a rollercoaster. I tell our team, Dee (Haslam) and I do, we have good weeks and bad weeks, but we feel good about the progress we’re making.”
Browns Trying to Build Winner on the Field
On the field, the Browns are trying to rebuild after a 3-14 campaign. Cleveland is in search of a quarterback after the disastrous Deshaun Watson trade in 2022.
“We took a big swing-and-miss with Deshaun,” Haslam said. “We thought we had the quarterback; we didn’t. And we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him, so we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole.
“… [The trade] was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee [Haslam] and I, so hold us accountable.”
Cleveland holds the No. 2 overall pick and could select a quarterback with the selection. The Browns have also investigated veteran options, including a potential trade for Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins.
