• Loading stock data...
Monday, September 8, 2025
Fox Analyst and Media Entrepreneur Greg Olsen to Speak at Tuned In Get your ticket now!

Browns $2.4B Stadium Plan Runs Into Airspace Turbulence

Amid a series of other legal and financial challenges, a new obstacle has arisen in the Browns’ push to build a new stadium. 

Cleveland Browns/HKS

Long before ground is broken on the Browns’ planned $2.4 billion domed stadium in suburban Brook Park, Ohio, the club has faced a series of legal and financial obstacles to the project. Now, yet another hurdle is coming through the air, so to speak. 

The NFL team has received formal notice from the Ohio Department of Transportation that it is not issuing a permit for the planned Brook Park stadium because it would interfere with air traffic at nearby Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

The Browns, owned by Haslam Sports Group, plan to recess the stadium about 80 feet into the ground, but still top out at 221 feet above ground. That plan, however, is 58 feet higher than the maximum allowable height for that location, according to ODOT’s aviation office.

“Please contact our office to request a permit at these reduced heights,” ODOT wrote in a letter to HSG representatives. “This structure may also be permitted at your proposed height at another location further away from the airport.”

The Browns and HSG say they are “confused” by ODOT’s notice, and the basis for it, particularly given that they already received Federal Aviation Administration clearance for the project—provided there are red lights on the roof to help guide passing pilots. The FAA, however, has no jurisdiction over local zoning. 

The team has a series of options in addition to altering the stadium plan, including requesting a formal appeal of the ruling. 

“We’ve already begun working collaboratively with ODOT to explain the stadium’s heights and the detailed work we’ve done more fully, which shows no safety or efficiency issues to the airport,” said HSG spokesman Peter John-Baptiste in a statement. “We look forward to resolving this matter expeditiously and continuing our work to bring this transformative project to Northeast Ohio.”

Myriad Issues

Late last month, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said there is “a 99.9% chance” of the Brook Park stadium happening while also acknowledging inherent difficulties around the effort.

“This is a complicated project,” Haslam said. “There’s stuff going on. It’s three and a half years until the stadium opens, and we will have to work hard every day to get everything to come together.”

Other issues surrounding the stadium include a lawsuit challenging the use of unclaimed state funds to support public construction bonds. The city of Cleveland is also fighting the team’s planned departure from the downtown Huntington Bank Field, and some local media are suggesting that Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb is behind the new, aviation-related issue. 

“Who runs the airport? The city of Cleveland, Mayor Justin Bibb,” said Cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn. “I think Mayor Justin Bibb has come up with the winning strategy to block this thing because he’s dead set against it.”

Bibb has not acknowledged that, but Cuyahoga County executive Chris Ronayne, another opponent of the Brook Park stadium, also was critical of the potential impact on the airport.

“We cannot emphasize enough that downtown Cleveland is the best location for the stadium, both for the team and the residents of Cuyahoga County,” he said. 

QB Decision

The Browns, meanwhile, said Monday that veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, 40, will be the team’s Week 1 starter, ending what had been building intrigue around the decision.

The team has a particularly crowded quarterback room that includes fifth-round draft pick Shedeur Sanders.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Oklahoma-Michigan Was a Battle of Dueling QB NIL Philosophies

Bryce Underwood got into a heated exchange with his teammate.
Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) leads the team onto the field for warm ups before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

Slow Burn: The NFL’s Private-Equity Era So Far

Three deals have been struck to date. But the league is bullish.
exclusive

Ryan Clark Could Be On Thin Ice at ESPN After Second Public..

Clark and Peter Schrager had a tense on-air moment Friday.
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) and linebacker C.J. Hicks (11) shake hands while leaving the field following the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. Ohio State won 14-7

How Ohio State Rebuilt Its NIL Strategy in the Rev-Share Era

The Buckeyes are staying “aggressive” in the new NIL landscape.

Featured Today

Tennis

The US Open Is Groaning Under the Weight of Its Own Success

New York’s tennis major is more popular than ever.
Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gets ready to take the field prior to a game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
September 5, 2025

How Brazil Game Fits Into NFL’s Plans for World Domination

Friday night’s Chiefs-Chargers game in São Paulo is big by design.
Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrate their touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field.
September 2, 2025

TV Ratings Just Changed Again. The NFL Will Be the Big Winner

Nielsen’s new viewership system will have a big impact on sports.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.
August 30, 2025

The Most Expensive Roster Year in College Football History

The House settlement created revenue-sharing—and a big NIL loophole.
Aug 22, 2025; Bridgeview, Illinois, USA; Chicago Stars FC forward Jameese Joseph (8) passes the ball during the first half of a match against the North Carolina Courage at SeatGeek Stadium.

Chicago Stars FC Move to Evanston After 12 Years in Bridgeview

Stadium plans beyond the 2026 season aren’t solidified. 
Dec 10, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; A general view of the Delta Center before the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Minnesota Wild.
August 19, 2025

Utah’s Sports Boom Expands Into Music, Emulating Atlanta

The Jazz and Mammoth owner strikes a major deal with Live Nation.
August 28, 2025

As CFB Programs Add Corporate Field Logos, Are Jersey Patches Next?

Texas is adding a sponsor’s logo to its football field this season.
Sponsored

Trailblazer Cal Calamia Is Racing for ‘Advocacy, Storytelling, and Performance’

The marathoner wants excellence—not just inclusion—to be the goal for non-binary athletes.
Sofi Stadium
August 14, 2025

Los Angeles Olympics Will be First to Sell Venue Naming Rights

The decision breaks with a longstanding Olympic policy.
Nov 30, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; General overall view of the Dallas Cowboys logo at midfield during an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
August 14, 2025

Arlington Pays Off Its Cowboys Stadium Debt 10 Years Early

Another major NFL venue retires its public debt far ahead of schedule.
Fans watch as players make it into the 18th hole during round three of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 8, 2025. Arizona Republic
August 13, 2025

Country Club Initiation Fees Soar With Golf’s Popularity

In many areas, would-be members are joining decade-long wait lists.
July 30, 2025

Browns Push Forward on $2.4B Stadium Despite Political Obstacles

The NFL team plans a stadium groundbreaking, despite funding and legal issues.