The NFL has become so adept at getting money out of the hands of cities, that they’re now convincing them it’s less than they’re getting.
According to Mark Naymik of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns and the city of Cleveland have agreed on a plan that would give the team $2 million a year over the next 15 years out of the pool of taxpayer money.
So $30 million’s not a bad deal right? The story says the “true cost” of the handout is only $22 million, “because the money is being committed at the present-day value of the dollar.”
The city’s wallet must feel fatter already.
Either way you count the beans, the Browns are getting someone else to shake the stalk for a chunk of the $120 million in improvements they’re making to the new stadium.
“I would do nothing to put the city of Cleveland in jeopardy, . . . or sidetrack or disrupt a councilman’s desire to have development in their ward,” Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said. “It’s $2 million a year that is not needed to provide the level of service that we are providing today.”
Of course, if they don’t find a quarterback, the Browns won’t need the new scoreboard to provide the level of offensive highlights they’re providing today, so it kind of evens out.