Yes, it's getting harder and harder to get public money for private football teams.
Via Jake Zuckerman of Cleveland.com, Ohio governor Mike DeWine opposes the notion of $600 million in state-issued bonds for the construction of a new Browns stadium in suburban Brook Park.
“This is clearly not the way to go,” DeWine said during a radio appearance, one day after the Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill including the bonds desired by the Browns.
DeWine, a Republican, has the power to veto any bill passed by the Ohio legislature.
The current plan has Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam paying for $1.2 billion of the amount, with the bonds covering $600 million and Cuyahoga County coming up with the remaining $600 million.
The Browns' current stadium opened in 1999. The team prefers a new facility to renovation of the current one.
The issue of taxpayer money for sports stadiums is becoming more and more politically unpopular. A Cleveland.com invitation for reader input on whether the state should have any involvement in funding stadium construction resulted in more than 200 text messages — with only 12 saying yes.
If the Browns can't get the public money they want, it remains to be seen what the Browns will do.