BUCKEYES TO BROWNS
Ohio State defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. is selected 54th overall in the second round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
According to Rick Rouan of dispatch.com, the City of Columbus and the Cleveland Browns resumed talks about building a "recreation center" at Tuttle Park that would host the Browns' annual training camp.
Earlier this year, the Browns scrimmaged at Ohio Stadium for the second year in a row. It's all apart of the Browns' masterplan to wrestle capital city fans away from the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers despite having the worst-run franchise of the three.
The details, however, are the most damning part.
Under the current proposal, said Tony Collins, Columbus' director of recreation and parks, the Browns would contribute $5 million, Franklin County would contribute $5 million and the city would cover the rest of the cost of the recreation center, estimated at $15 million to $17 million.
Public money paying for billionaires' projects is an old-hat scheme. What separates the audacity of this deal, though, is usually it's only professional sports teams with this kind of gall.
The Browns are 0-12. They lost their last four games by 73 points. They're not even entertaining in how they lose. It's akin to watching Ohio State bulldoze Florida A&M—every week.
They've fired coaches, general managers, hired a guru from the Mets, and even changed uniforms. Yet they still suck.
I don't care what the Browns suits are spindling to Franklin County and Columbus officials. They could be charging $23 million for the keys to the franchise, and it would be $24 million overpriced.
The state had the sense to pull its $5 million from a similar deal last year. City officials should do the same. The Browns, for better or worse, belong to Cleveland.
