One way or another, it seems the Cleveland Browns organization has controversy surrounding it. Sometimes it is related to little things, like Jimmy Haslam getting advice from a homeless man, and other times it is much more serious.
The latest controversy surrounds the name of the stadium that the team plays on, FirstEnergy Field. FirstEnergy, the company, has held the naming rights to the Cleveland stadium since 2013 and is contracted until 2030 with those rights.
The company has also been embroiled in controversy since bribery charges were brought by federal prosecutors surrounding former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.
While FirstEnergy paid a $230 million fine as a part of a plea deal, Cleveland’s city councilman Brian Kazy has sponsored a resolution attempting to get the company’s name off the Browns stadium:
Simply, I don’t believe that the municipally-owned stadium that the Cleveland Browns play in should bear the name of this tainted company. The sign, seen as people enter Cleveland, gives the impression that they represent the city. This is false.
FirstEnergy responded to News 5:
“FirstEnergy has a longstanding commitment to supporting communities through sponsorship of civic, athletic and arts organizations. We have taken swift action to address events that have occurred over the past year and to ensure a culture of strong ethics, integrity and accountability at the company. We look forward to continuing as a valued partner with all the communities in which we live and work.”
Now, so has the team insisting that the partnership, and naming rights, will continue in the future:
Statement from #Browns regarding a resolution being introduced by Cleveland City Councilman Brian Kazy to have FirstEnergy relinquish naming rights to stadium in the wake of a corruption scandal involving the company. If passed, the resolution is non-binding & would be symbolic pic.twitter.com/Q6HhUX51XX
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) May 20, 2022
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Whoever said “there is no such thing as bad publicity” seems to be wrong in relation to the Cleveland Browns.