Browns jumped the gun, needed “prior approval” from city for stadium name change

The Cleveland Browns are set to enter the 2024 NFL season on Sunday afternoon in Huntington Bank Field instead of Cleveland Browns Stadium after Tuesday’s press conference. The Browns naming rights deal with Huntington Bank is for 20 years “whether in the existing stadium or a new one” according to the bank’s press release.

As the City of Cleveland and the Browns discuss what the future of the stadium is, it seems that Brook Park is the most likely outcome. Cuyahoga County doesn’t seem so keen on the team being moved out of downtown even if it is just a few miles away in the same county.

The negotiations with the city and the naming rights deal announced today intersect slightly as technically the team jumped the gun. According to the Browns lease with the City of Cleveland, according to a report, the team needed approval in advance:

The lease dictates that no new name will be given to the stadium without prior approval of council.

There is another technicality that states that the council will not withhold approval unless the name violates laws or “reasonably cause embarrassment.”

While the jokes about embarrassment could flow in the comment section below, it is interesting that the team decided to make the announcement on Tuesday. The City Council has agreed to a special meeting on Wednesday morning to discuss the change but questions will be asked:

In an email Tuesday to Bibb’s leadership team, Councilman Mike Polensek asked how the naming rights would work if the Browns were to move their team to Brook Park, or outside of Cleveland in general. Polensek asked those officials to come to Wednesday’s hearing armed with answers.

In the end, the council will likely approve the name change and put on a little bit of a show to push their agenda of keeping the team in downtown Cleveland. Browns officials will likely sidestep questions with, at most, vague answers, and Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys will be played in Huntington Bank Field.