Browns make next move toward moving to Brook Park

The Browns is the Browns — and the Browns is determined to move out of downtown.

On Thursday, the team issued a statement explaining that it has “officially execut[ed] a clause” that will allow it to “tak[e] steps forward” in the purchase of a 176-acre site in Brook Park.

“We have executed the clause and taken the necessary steps in our land purchase agreement with the current owners to solidify our future purchase of the 176-acre site in Brook Park for a new Huntington Bank Field enclosed stadium, along with an adjacent mixed-use development,” Haslam Sports Group COO Dave Jenkins said. “While work remains with our public partners on the project, this is a key step in our efforts to create a responsible long-term stadium solution that delivers a world-class experience for our fans, attracts more large-scale events for our region and positively impacts our local economy.”

The most important clause in that quote is this: “Work remains with our public partners.”

Cleveland has put the Browns on notice of its invocation of the Art Modell Law, which can (if enforced as written) force the Haslams to sell the team. Previously, the Haslam’s filed a lawsuit aimed at getting “clarity” on the law.

That effort to get “clarity” undoubtedly will include the Browns arguing for an interpretation that eliminates the worst-case scenario of a forced sale of the team.

Ultimately, nothing as it relates to Brook Park will matter until the Browns have a path to leave Cleveland that doesn’t involve selling the team.